Integrity, Trust, and Bravery
by Keftense
Summary: Night Howler has resurfaced with a dark connection to the ZPD. Nick Wilde questions what it means to be an officer as Judy is hospitalized from an assassination attempt. Hot on the trail of the drug, Nick finds unlikely allies in the reptilian citizens of the Canals District and together they find it leading to a reckoning within the ZPD, and it will start with weapon's fire.
1. Chapter 1 The First Note

**Notes: Massive thanks to AngloFalcon who helped offer suggestions and edit my work. He is fantastic, put his stories on your list of ones to read! No seriously...read his work, he's outstanding!**

 **Integrity, Trust, and Bravery**

Chapter 1

The First Note

"Car 14, we have a 10-40 en route to your location, Black SUV license plate Bravo, Alpha, Zulu, Whiskey, 1, 4, 3. Please respond and pursue."

Nick, sitting in the passenger seat of the squad car quickly grabbed the radio pawset as Judy began scanning the road looking for the suspect. Nick pressed the switch.

"10-4, old buddy, car 14 responding."

"Hit the lights, Nick" Judy remarked as she spotted the SUV heading towards them.

Nick flipped down his shades with a smirk and hit the lights right as the SUV roared passed their car. Judy stomped on the accelerator and swerved into the street following the black SUV. Nick's heart pounded in his chest with the excitement of the chase. It had been 7 months since the close of the Night Howler case and one month since graduating from the academy and the only other high speed chase he had been involved with was with his old friend Flash. He had stopped shortly after seeing the lights and was let off with a written warning. This however, was different. Nick could already tell that this driver had no intention of stopping and didn't care who got in the way as the SUV drove onto a sidewalk to get by traffic stuck at a red light.

Judy followed closely, slowing slightly to make sure it was clear of cars and civilians before flooring the accelerator again. He turned and looked at Judy, her bright eyes locked on the road with complete concentration ears up and alert and the strain of it all visible in her paws as she gripped the wheel tightly. He admired her composure.

"Carrots, we need to end this chase quick. Give him a little love tap when we get to the freeway ramp. There is nowhere to go so if there is a crash, it'll be contained."

She simply nodded and waited for the right moment. When it happened, she floored it and tapped the right rear side of the offender's vehicle sending it into a spin. Well it would have been a spin if it were not for the concrete of the on ramp stopping it very suddenly. 'Too much speed!' Nick thought to himself as he saw the top heavy SUV tip and roll twice before coming to a stop 50 meters up the ramp sitting sideways blocking it off completely. Nick was already unbuckled and grabbing his door handle as it finally came to rest.

"Call it in Carrots! I'll secure him!"

Judy was in a momentary shock after causing the accident and after only a moment she reached out and grabbed the pawset to call Clawhauser.

"This is car 14; we have intervened and have a code 964. We are at the north bound on ramp to highway 18. Moving to assist Officer Wilde!"

Her heart pounded as she moved in next to Nick a few paces to his left. In the time that they had known each other, they learned a unique body language that allowed them to work in tense situations without any verbal communication. He started to go around the back of the SUV and Judy moved to the front. The SUV could hardly be called that anymore and was a mangled wreck. The roof had all but been torn off completely and on the pavement near some of the debris, they found an otter... he wasn't moving. Nick looked at Judy and she nodded in acknowledgment as he holstered his pistol and moved over to the suspect. He crouched down and slowly rolled the otter over as Judy kept her gun trained on the suspect. The otter let out a moan of pain as Nick checked him for injuries. Judy breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the sirens and saw the ambulance. Nick looked up at her and nodded as she finally let herself truly start breathing again and holstered her pistol as he put handcuffs on the otter, just as Delgato and Wolford arrived on scene to help with processing the suspect.

"How is he?" She asked, not really trying to hide the concern in her voice.

"Oh he's going to wake with a wicked headache, but other than a few bruises and a new pair of shinny bracelets, he'll be fine." He said with a wink to his partner.

Nick was no doctor but he had a knack for being right and soon it was confirmed by the medics that the otter sustained a concussion and a bruised wrist. She shook her head at Nick's unique luck...or skill. One thing she couldn't really get over is how relaxed he looked after something like this, it had been 15 minutes and her paws had only just stopped shaking. Nick was already digging through the wreckage looking for anything that might explain the otter's erratic behavior. She joined him by climbing through the mess of the back seats and avoiding the sharp metal that seemed to protrude form every surface. She had to ask.

"Nick?"

"Hmm?" Neither of them stopped their search as they chatted

"How do you do it? How do you remain so calm after something like this?"

He took a moment to think before responding in a thoughtful tone.

"Not really sure. It excites me more than anything. Maybe it reminds me of the thrill of pulling a good hustle. Whatever the reason, my heart pounds and it really gets my blood up."

Judy thought for a moment.

"Do you think it may have something to do with being a pred?"

He chuckled at that.

"I don't think so, can you imagine Clawhauser in a situation like this?"

They both shared a giggle at that. They continued to search for a moment before Nick let out a quiet curse. She didn't quite catch it, but it made her ears perk up and she didn't like the sudden smell of stress from her partner.

"Judy...I think you should look at this."

His tone reminded her of when they found the claw marks inside the limo during the Night Howler case. She didn't like what he found then and when she climbed up front to look into the center console where Nick had his flashlight pointing, she didn't like what she saw now. It was a small blue ball, about the size of a marble, somewhat soft to the touch. She looked into her partner's green eyes and saw worry.

"Carrots, do you think this what I hope it isn't?"

Judy said the only thing that came to her mind, ears starting to droop from fear at what it could mean.

"Night Howler."

Judy could hear Nick swallow as he pulled a small evidence baggie out of his pocket and bagged the ball and set the bag on the dashboard. They moved some of the papers in the center console and found a small air gun. Just like the one used all those months ago. Nick became agitated as his ears flared in challenge. He climbed out of the car crumbling the papers in his paws as he walked back to their car. Judy could still smell his frustration as she hopped out and flagged down Delgato. The lion jogged over to her with a worried expression as he had seen Nick storm off into the squad car.

"What is it Judy?"

"There is an air gun in the center console and an evidence bag on the dash. It needs to be tested." She took a small moment and breathed in shakily "I think it is Night Howler."

Delgato became very tense and looked to the car where Nick sat. Only the top of his head was slightly visible from where they stood. Judy knew that was because he had his face in his paws. The Night Howler case was the source of so much pain and bad memories. It had almost ended their friendship 9 months ago and everyone on the force knew it. Many of the officers and indeed city council had taken quite strongly to the unlikely pair and would worry on their behalf. Judy sensed his discomfort.

"I'll speak with Nick. Don't worry Delgato, we solved this once and with everyone on board we can do it again."

The lion sighed and nodded.

"Okay Hopps, go check on your partner. Wolford and I will take care of the evidence and get it bagged."

She nodded thanks and jogged over to the car and climbed into the driver's seat. Crumpled paper littered the floor of the car. She found Nick sitting with his face in his paws. His ears limp, tail unmoving.

"Nick?"

He sat up and sighed deeply.

"I'm alright Judy, just didn't expect we would ever see this again. It brought me back to the natural history museum. The feeling of hope and worry that our ruse would work. It seems our old case is active again."

"Hey, we solved it once and we can do it again."

He smiled in his unique way, ears perked up.

"You bet Carrots, no worries. Lets get back to the station and give our report."

The drive back was uneventful and fairly quiet. Judy kept sending Nick sideways glances to see him staring aimlessly out the window. At one point he had dozed off. Once they pulled in to the ZPD motor pool she sat watching Nick sleeping for a moment. She hadn't ever been around the fox as he slept and it gave her a moment to watch him more closely. The rise and fall of his chest, sound of slow breath escaping. It was a rare moment and she almost thought of leaving him in the car for a while but decided it would be best to get the report done. Plus she didn't know how to tell the Chief that her partner was crashed out in the car during working hours. She gently shook him until he stirred.

"Huh? Oh! How long was I out?"

Judy smiled

"About an hour."

Nick snapped up with a sudden look of terror.

"What? That long?! Chief Bogo is going to kill me!"

Judy couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

"Kidding! It was only a few minutes!"

He sighed and settled down a bit before giving her a sly look.

"Clever bunny, come on, lets go get our reports done then."

The nap had done it; Nick's signature swagger was back in his step as they walked through the lobby. He waved at Clawhauser who was reading a book. _Gazelle an autobiography._

"Hey, bud! Thanks for the heads up on the car!"

Clawhauser looked up and smiled as he shoved another frosty doughnut in his mouth and went back to reading. Nick and Judy shared a small office with a pair of computers as they began typing their reports. Judy had gotten coffee on the way in for them and they sat in relative silence sipping the warm beverage. Nick took a moment as he worked to enjoy the small moment of calm after the day they had. The warm coffee, the nearby friend, and they rhythmic sound of typing. Then came the part in the report about the Night Howler. Nick swallowed and continued typing until the details were all written down and the report finished. Nick hit 'Submit' after a quick read through and listened to the quiet 'woosh' that the ZPD computers emanated whenever a report was sent. Despite the heavy details in the reports that he had filed, the sound always made him smile.

He leaned back in his chair, cradling the back of his head with his paws, staring at the ceiling of the office, deep in thought. "Hey, Carrots?"

Her typing continued "Hmm?"

"What do you think is next? I mean, Night Howler is back again."

That got her to stop typing and swivel in her chair to face him. Her ears drooped as she replied. "I don't know, Nick. We will figure it out though, we did once and we will again."

There was a knock on the door. Both mammals turned to see Chief Bogo's massive bulk standing in the doorway. He looked none too pleased.

"Next time you decide to end a high speed pursuit, don't do it on a freeway on ramp. We have traffic backed up for miles as we process the scene. It wont be opened for another hour and Mayor Growlburn is right up my tail about it."

Nick smiled and winked at the Chief.

"Can't make any promises there Chief!"

Bogo sighed as he shook his head at Nick.

"Make sure your car is cleaned up and ready for repairs to the bumper. Then you are dismissed for the day."

Both fox and rabbit replied at the same time.

"Yes Chief"

After he left, Nick looked over at her partner with a smirk.

"I will clean the car since I am finished with my report. No sense in both of us hanging around while I was the one who made the mess in the car in the first place."

Judy smiled.

"Okay Nick, see you tomorrow."

Nick climbed out of his chair, drained his coffee and sauntered down the hall. He took the time to enjoy his situation. Here he was, a former hustler, an outcast of society and the first fox cop with the first bunny cop as his partner. Over his years of cheating and scamming he found himself quite good at reading people, and when he looked around at the passing officers of the ZPD, he didn't find disdain, or distrust in the eyes of his colleagues. Instead he found respect, and he suspected that they genuinely cared about him. He would never forget the first time Judy told him that he would make a pretty good cop and he responded with a scoff and 'How dare you?'. Now he realized, for the life of him, he couldn't see himself doing anything else.

He reached the police cruiser and opened the door. On the floor were all of the papers scattered from the otter's center console. Nick was exhausted and just wanted to be home to relax. He knew that he couldn't simply throw them out since they were evidence, so instead he collected them up and started to walk back to his office. As he walked he started leafing through the papers. One caught his eye in particular. It was a Zmail to an address he didn't recognize but the IP address, the Zooweb location that had sent it. That one he knew. It came from a private server but was sent from within the ZPD. Nick froze in his tracks, and his blood ran cold. He started reading.

 _-S_

 _Don't worry so much, no one here suspects anything. Just keep doing what you are told and follow the dead drops. Our mutual benefactor has a stake in this and is paying us well. I will keep the ZPD off any trail that might lead back to you so long as you do your job. If it gets too hot we will shift the blame to someone else. Our benefactor demands that our two resident 'Heroes' eventually take the fall for it anyway._

 _Do your job and don't make mine any more difficult._

 _-DD_

Nick quickly folded the paper up into his breast pocket and brought the rest to the evidence room to be cataloged. He put on his best usual swagger to avoid rousing the suspicions of whoever sent the zmail. Once he was done, he then hailed a cab and went home. That was the longest ride home in his memory. It gave Nick far too long to sit and brood over his findings. His nerve endings were alight and the stress caused his fur to stand on end. He rested his head against the glass of the cab and simply watched the streetlights go by one after another in a consistent interval, as his mind wandered. It never strayed far from the paper in his pocket much to his frustration. The driver must have smelled his stress as Nick kept noticing the zebra stealing looks through his rear view mirror.

Nick smiled at him "Yeah sorry...its...been a busy day."

The driver nodded with a smile as he pulled into Nick's apartment complex. Nick absently paid the animal and stepped out of the cab. He stood for a moment staring at the front door as the light glinted off the number to his room.

914\. Nick scoffed quietly, never noticing the significance of it until tonight. "How ironic" He mused to himself as he unlocked the door and stepped in.

Hollow, cold, and lonely. His modest apartment had never had such emotion tied to it before today. He removed his police shirt and hung it up in his closet feeling the weight of more than just a shirt coming off. He stared at the gleaming badge for a while before reaching out and removing the zmail from the breast pocket. This is what caused all the weight. It even felt heavy alone in his paw.

'How am I going to deal with this? Who can I even trust?'

His thoughts instantly went to Judy. She believed in him and saw more than just a fox, and since she was implicated in the zmail " _our two resident 'Heros' eventually take the fall for it anyway._ " he knew she was not one sending it. As always, he could trust her.

'At lunch break. We will go to a small restaurant where I can lay this out for her. Apparently this goes much deeper than we thought.'

Nick finished undressing and slid under his covers staring at the ceiling wishing sleep would weigh down his eyelids, but instead worry filled his mind. He had not felt this uncomfortable since he was betrayed while trying to become a Ranger Scout. He sighed deeply and rolled over staring at his phone, debating if he should call Judy and warn her. He reached out and took the phone in his paw and pulled up her contact number, hovering over the call button.

"No, I shouldn't tip my paw yet, Judy wears her emotions on her sleeve and I'd only be putting her in danger...tomorrow I'll tell her so I can keep her safe."

 **Notes;**

 **This is my first story here on the site and I look forward to the words of wisdom that can improve my writing. I am a fiction writer that seeks to better my skills before publishing my first book. This has already been a huge help. I have a back log of 5 chapters and will try to keep posting one every week to keep you guys going. Thanks again for your thoughts, pointers, and wisdom in my endeavors. Please review and comment, and I will try to get back with you! If there are artists you know of or you are one willing to draw/photoshop up a good cover to the story, let me know! Alas, I write not draw :)**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2 Night of Pain

**Notes: Thank you all so much for giving it a read and me a chance here on the site. Also thanks to the people who are now following my story and have added it as a favorite. Finally a huge thanks to AngloFalcon for devoting some of his busy life to my writing to help me.**

 **If you haven't already, read his work, its fantastic! No, seriously...read it.**

 **Also, I am going to keep trying to post these at a weekly rate. So keep an eye out as the story develops. At this I'm writing chapter 7 so I have a bit of a back log to keep you coming. Thanks again and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 2**

Night of Pain

The alarm went off far too soon. Nick felt like he had only been asleep for a few short minutes and he was not ready for the day. He shut off the alarm and swung his legs out from under the covers all while his mind raced through what was sure to be a very stressful day. Put his coffee on and shuffled into the shower knowing that he had some time to prepare himself for work. He always set his alarm early enough, mostly so he could hit the snooze button 4 or 5 times before scrambling to get ready in time. No snooze today, there was too much at stake.

He didn't really bother washing himself in the shower, he mostly just stood in the droplets watching the water circle the drain as his thoughts drifted back to the zmail he had found. Who was responsible for it, why were they doing it, how would I submit this for evidence, how do I even begin to handle this situation?

"Judy..."

He shut off the water and wrapped himself in the towel. Nick absently grabbed his coffee and took a few sips bringing more clarity with each sip. He didn't even really focus on anything in particular while getting ready but his own thoughts until the cool morning air hit his damp fur. Only then he realized he was dressed, coffee in paw, zmail in pocket and standing at the front door locking it for his day. He walked down the stairs and started on his walk to the precinct when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out as he walked to see a picture of Judy on screen and her number buzzing him. Nick smiled seeing the picture. She was wearing a wide sun hat made of straw and a plaid button up shirt smiling at the camera. It was taken while they toured her parent's farm the weekend after his graduation from the academy.

"Heeyy, Carrots! What'cha hear?"

"Hey Nick, taking the train or walking today?"

His mood always brightened hearing her voice.

"I'm walking today, managed to actually get up with my alarm so I have some time."

She giggled on the phone.

"Hang on I see a shifty character..."

Nick's thoughts went back to that zmail in his pocket and ears drooped suddenly. He froze dead in his tracks.

"Judy, where are you? What's going on?"

"Hang on, I see him. He looks suspicious...definitely up to no good."

Nick's heart was pounding.

"What does he look like Judy? Where are you?!"

Judy's voice was low and quite when she spoke into the phone.

"He's yelling at someone...it doesn't look good. I'm going in, gotta go!"

The line went dead as he yelled her name into the phone. Fear gripped his heart as his paws began to sweat. He started to redial but stopped. If she was indeed involved with sneaking up on someone, her phone would give her away, HE would give her away.

"GOTCHA!"

Nick almost fell flat on the pavement when Judy tackled him giggling the whole way.

"I caught the shifty character!"

Nick was in a tangled mess of joy, and frustration with his partner. His throbbing heart wouldn't be still and the slight irritation in his voice couldn't be completely masked despite his best efforts.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, Judy, you nearly scared me half to death!"

"I got you good that time!" She stopped giggling as she realized how worried he had been.

"Nick, whats wrong?" Her ears drooped as she asked, eyes filled with concern.

Nick smiled and his ears popped back up, "Aww nothing, you got me fair and square...this just means I have to get you back somehow...make no mistake Carrots, I will get you!"

She smiled but didn't seem too convinced by his response. "Look Carrots, I just have that Night Howler on my mind lately."

Judy perked up a bit, her ears finally returning to their usual place high in the air, "Hey don't worry too much about it, I'm sure forensics have found us a lead!"

Nick simply smiled and nodded all while thinking to himself 'I hope not'. He wasn't sure of the implications of his discovery yet, but he was sure that he wanted to discuss it with Judy so they could work on a plan together before anything got too carried away. Along the way to work, they laughed and joked about life in the ZPD and Nick found it nice to slip back into the way things were before yesterday. Carefree, expecting Clawhauser to cheerfully wave and smile at them, show them the next big thing for Gazelle apps and generally waist time before the morning meeting. Sit in the bullpen getting new cases and assignments. Nick's heart dropped again; cases that might involve Night Howler. He caught himself before his body language gave his thoughts away as he shot Judy a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. She didn't seem to notice and she still smiled throughout the morning.

Just as Nick had predicted, Clawhauser went through his normal morning routine and they stood listening. He let Judy do all of the talking as he stood with his elbow resting on the Cheetahs desk with his usual smirk, simply waiting for the morning call to the bullpen. When it came, they sat down in their usual places awaiting the word of the day. Chief Bogo let no time go to waste and got right down to business.

"All right quiet down...QUIET!" The room went silent.

"Now, as some of you may know, it seems a dark past has resurfaced here in our precinct. During a traffic incident yesterday involving Officers Hopps and Wilde, Night Howler was discovered in the center console of the SUV the suspect was driving." The room murmured a bit and a general unsteadiness settled over the room. Bogo held up a hoof to steady the murmur before continuing.

"The suspect has been identified as one Sully Lutrasmith. Unfortunately, he has not said anything that would help us figure out why a predator would be in possession of a drug that nearly tore the city in half."

Judy raised her paw, "Chief Bogo, My family uses _Midnicampum holicithias_ or Night Howlers as a pesticide. We're taught at a young age to avoid them because they DO affect mammals of all types; not just predators."

Bogo nodded "Hopps, Wilde, you two are our resident experts on this case since you cracked it the first time and have personal experience with the dangerous flower. Forensics finished processing the papers from your cruiser and are still working on the SUV. You will find them on your desk ready for your review." Bogo turned away from them and handed out everyone's files and assignments. He dismissed the room. "Hopps, Wild, and Fangmeyer, please stay here for a moment."

The officers slowly filed out of the room and Fangmeyer came over and sat down next to Nick and Judy. The tigress gave them a warm smile and a nod as they waited for the chief. Once the room was empty, he cleared his throat.

"Hopps, Wilde, you are taking lead on this case. Last time this happened, I nearly fired one of my best officers. I find that I would have been short two good cops had that happened. That wont happen again. You have full support of the ZPD to end this as quickly as you can." Bogo turned to the tigress "Officer Fangmeyer, you are to be on standby for anything Wilde or Hopps might need. If they need extra paws, you are it. I have cleared all of your cases and distributed them among the other officers. They will keep you informed on their progress and at the conclusion of this investigation, they will be yours again. Until then, help these two in anyway you possibly can."

Fangmeyer nodded "You got it Chief."

Bogo nodded "Good, you are dismissed, good luck you three."

All four mammals got up and left the bullpen and headed for the offices. Nick could feel the weight of the zmail in his pocket, the responsibility, and the violations he was committing by not turning it in as evidence. If he was wrong about this conspiracy, and it came to light that he withheld evidence in the case, he would most likely lose his badge over it. What would Judy's reaction be to that? What would he do after? Go back to hustles? Nick shuddered at the thought and tried to shake it loose. The zmail DID come from within the ZPD. May have been a different server, but it was the same IP address. _"Do your job, and don't make mine any more difficult"_.

Nick sat down at his desk, Judy at hers and Fangmeyer next to her in a chair she pulled from her office. He couldn't think that there would be anything of interest in these scattered copies of the mess from the SUV, but he started reading them anyway. Everything was here, from receipts at dry cleaners, to some work related papers. Sully Lutrasmith was a dock worker near the Canals District, a supervisor for incoming shipments from outlying islands and other nations around the world. Nick realized that he could smuggle anything through customs since he was the last stop for inspections. Night Howler could go out or come in from any other nation. Nicks heart sank thinking about how far this could go.

It seemed like the hours crept on so slowly and Judy felt herself slipping a bit as the words on the multitude of papers she was reading through were blending together.

She sat back and started rubbing her face. Fangmeyer took notice and looked a bit concerned. "Hey Judy, you're looking a bit tired. Why don't you take a break? I'll get us some coffee; Nick do you want one too?"

Nick looked up from his share of the papers with his own weary eyes. "Sure Fangmeyer, thanks for that, I think we could all use a short break."

Fangmeyer got up smiling as she left the small office. Judy was alone in her thoughts for a few moments until Nick suddenly looked up from his papers with a smirk. "Hey Carrots, wanna get lunch at Fast Paws Diner today? They have a killer blueberry pie I think you will love."

She leaned back in her chair and now that he mentioned it, she was very hungry. "That sounds fantastic, I think Fangmeyer will like that too."

Nick's mood seemed to shift slightly; did he look uncomfortable? "Yeah...I was thinking of just us, give us time to muse over this case a bit and let Fangmeyer go to lunch with her normal crowd."

Judy wanted to ask why he looked so worried but in the end just shrugged it off. He likely had something personal he wanted to ask. He always looked this way when he did. Last time it was if she thought her parents liked him or not. He had been so worried about that and the look on his face that day made Judy smile again.

"Sure Nick, we can go. I think I'll order the carrot cake though, maybe you will let me sample your blueberry pie though?"

He smirked; there was the charm "Maybe Carrots, just maybe. We have a few minutes before lunch, I'll go set up our table."

She watched him organize his desk a bit before standing and walking over to the small door to their shared office as he nearly bumped into officer Albalupus. The timber wolf was half again taller than Wilde. Albalupus stopped dead in his tracks to avoid walking over Nick. "Oh sorry about that Officer Wilde, didn't see you there. Heard you talking about lunch though, sounds like a good idea. I'm new in the ZPD and haven't found time to make myself a regular anywhere. Know any good places?"

Nick shrugged with his signature charm "Sure, Fast Paws Diner is a good place, but most of the officers go to Pennington's Parade on account of the police officer discount...that and Francine's family owns the place"

Nick looked over his shoulder at Judy "See ya in a bit Carrots."

Judy waved as he left. She only had a moment before she heard him speaking in the hall with someone. She couldn't make out who but that question answered its self when Fangmeyer returned with the coffee. "Nick said you two were off to lunch together. Asked me to leave his coffee on his desk. Did you know he likes lukewarm coffee?"

Judy giggled a bit "Yeah he's one strange fox, sorry about that Fangmeyer."

Fangmeyer only waved her paw dismissively "Ah no worries, you guys go on ahead, I actually prefer Pennington's. I'll see you two when you get back."

Judy finished packing up and leaving everything as neat as she could before standing up and stretching. She glanced over at Nick's desk and noticed he had left the case papers out. 'Messy fox, where would you be without me to keep you out of trouble'. She slid the file back into one of his drawers where his other cases were. Being on the force for a month, he did not have much in there but it was neatly organized according to date. So she filed it away in its proper place before leaving the office and heading down to the motor pool. It was not a far drive to Fast Paws, but too far for a reasonable walk. A cruiser would allow them a quick ride back since Nick likely took a cab. For whatever reason, he preferred to ride, not drive.

Nick got the table by the window. He rubbed his paws together anxiously, waiting and watching. He didn't know who he could trust, or if anybody even knew that he had the information that would lead to the arrest of someone in the ZPD. He watched every single animal that walked by the diner. The outside world was completely oblivious to his stress as they wandered around to get lunch, drop mail in the box outside the diner, or shop at a nearby store. He envied their stress free moments as he sat nearly pulling his fur out or grinding his teeth to dust. Finally he saw Judy show up in a police cruiser. The ZPD had modified one such car to accommodate the two smaller officers. Peddles had been moved, seats adjusted and belts arranged. The cruiser was practically theirs. Judy parked it across the street in the first available parking space. He felt a wave of relief seeing her step out of the car and wave at him. Nick smiled and waved back as Judy began walking towards the restaurant.

Nick suddenly felt like the air around him tried to force its way into his brain through his ears. He felt his face tingle and suddenly a sharp pain shot its way through the back of his head as the world went black. He was vaguely aware of being on his back as he tried to come to terms with what was happening. His hearing started to come back and the first thing he heard was a fire alarm going off and someone sobbing nearby. As the world came back into focus he could see papers blowing around in the air as he stared at the ceiling of the diner. Covered in glass shards, Nick began to roll over onto his side to prop himself up. The table he had been sitting at was no longer there. It had been blown clear across the diner and where there was a window, now there was just a massive ragged hole in the wall. His snout and head felt wet and his seeking paw came back with blood and fur. His ears and back of his head were bleeding but other than that he found no significant injuries, a few other patrons were sitting up dazed after the explosion...where was Judy?

"JUDY!" Panic instantly filled his body with adrenaline. Shaky limbs and throbbing head be damned, he needed to find his partner. He half crawled and stumbled his way to where he had been sitting to find a burning pile of rubble just outside where the mailbox had been, but no sign of Judy. Glancing over to the cruiser and didn't see her there either. The rear window of the cruiser had been smashed in and even from this distance he could see tufts of gray fur and blood on the edges of the broken glass. All pain forgotten Nick scrambled to his feet and rushed over to the car and ripped the door open.

He froze for a fraction of a heartbeat. For that moment his eyes flicked over the carnage. She had been blown clear across the road into the cruiser and through the window, her flight only stopped by the safety window that kept the suspects and officers separated. Nick climbed into the back seat and put his paws on either side of Judy's face, silently pleading that she would open her eyes.

"Judy, wake up," Tears stung his eyes, "Don't leave me like this, please don't do this, no no no!" He moved his paws down to her neck and to his relief he found a pulse. Nick pulled her in close and sat on the back seat cradling her crumpled form as he grabbed the pawset on his hip. He took a deep breath to try to steady his voice. Despite that, his voice nearly cracked on the radio.

"Officer down, officer down, Officer Hopps is down! Location; Fast Paws Diner, multiple civilians injured, requesting immediate medical assistance!"

Clawhauser's voice came over the radio. "Understood, help is on the way, two ambulances and three cruisers are en route now." There was a momentary pause before his voice came back on. Grief riddled in his words. "How is she Nick? How bad?"

Nick's tears now soaked his face as he pulled her in close to his chest, willing his heartbeat to assist her slowing beat. He could feel her blood flowing into his uniform. Rather than respond to Clawhauser, Nick began to search for the hidden injury he hadn't noticed. She had a piece of the mailbox embedded in her side but it had clipped her arm and must have sliced an artery on its path. Nick tore off his tie and quickly wrapped the wound all while hearing Clawhauser call out to him with more and more concern. He couldn't help himself sobbing into the radio as he responded to the Cheetah.

"She's bad, Clawhauser. W-We need h-help now. Please hurry guys."

Clawhauser responded with a choked voice. "Don't worry Nick, help is on the way, it will be there soon. Hang on to her Nick, don't let her go, Nick...don't let her go."

Nick dropped the pawset to the floor and looked down at his partner, tears dampening her fur. "You hear that Carrots? Don't go, we need you...I...I need you."

 **Notes: Yep, that's a heavy chapter. Worry not dear readers, Judy's condition will be revealed in the next chapter! Thanks again for your time reading my work, I greatly appreciate it! Please comment and review for this goofy veteran. All thoughts are appreciated, even if you think you don't have good advice please post it. You may have a perspective that I do not! Massive shout-out to AngloFalcon again for his time, energy and effort!**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3 Aftermath

**Notes: Thanks again for reading my story here folks! I actually have the story completed and I am working on the follow up already...I really enjoy writing here and the community is fantastic! I will have chapters out as soon as they are proofread for your viewing pleasure.**

 **Thanks again AngloFalcon for your time energy and effort correcting this sloppy veteran when he steps out of line!**

 **Chapter 3**

Aftermath

The ambulance came, so did the ZPD in force. Fire trucks loaded with animals came to put out the small fires in the area, hoses to hydrants, extinguishers in paw. Nick couldn't take his eyes off Judy. She was being loaded into the back of one of the ambulances. Without a word, Nick went to that ambulance and climbed in back with them despite the rumblings of one of the paramedics following him, trying to tend to his wounds. Nick sat silently in the back watching them work on Judy. It was a flurry of activity as the jaguar paramedic was slowly cutting off her shirt in order to access the piece of mailbox impaling her as well as tending to the severed artery in her arm. Even under her fur, Nick could see how pale she was from blood loss. He felt his ears droop limp as he watched them scramble to save her life. When they removed his tie from her arm, the blood started flowing freely again. The jaguar quickly placed a mouse on her arm who was covered in protective clothing and armed with a small pair of clamps. The mouse practically climbed into her gaping wound and Nick felt himself sick watching it. Fearing that this was the last time he would see her; he forced himself to continue watching.

The blood flow stopped and the mouse squeezed herself out from Judy's arm, head to toe covered in blood. The mouse gave a tiny thumbs up. Nick felt himself relax a bit but that was short lived. The next moments he would see his life spiral out of control as the machine monitoring her heart suddenly went flat line. If Nick thought it was a flurry of activity before, then this was pure pandemonium. Shouting, quick movements and scrambling for equipment filled the air in the back of the ambulance. Nick began to rethink his idea of sharing the ride watching this. He felt his soul go black as he watched his friend dying on the gurney right before his eyes. He was powerless, all he could do was sit there and pull the jump seat cushion out with his claws until they met bare metal. They finally got her heart going again after much work, and in the back of that ambulance, they all shared a collective sigh of relief. The Jaguar sat sniffling quietly as she continued to focus on stabilizing Judy. Nick's mind began to drift out of unconsciousness as he realized that both his blood and Judy's had been pooling around his feet. Feeling sick, his eyes swiveled around in his skull as he finally let go and let the warm dark take him.

Nick came around in time to step out of the ambulance on his own power, waving away the waiting gurney but relented when they insisted on him getting into a wheel chair. They pointed at his bloody feet. "You are going to track that all over the hospital-swallow your pride and sit!"

He was brought to a room to have his wounds finished up. Most were done in the ambulance but there was still work to be done. There was a ragged gash in his left ear, that left flesh hanging, a large cut across his face, likely from the mailbox, and many other small cuts that were just cleaned up. One thing that they were trying to tend to was his paws. They were worn raw from trying to dig through metal while gripping the jump seat.

There was only one thing on his mind, "How's Judy?" Tears began to sting again, at the mention of her name.

The wolf looked up at him with sympathetic eyes as he cleaned blood from Nick's feet. "Officer Hopps was stabilized and is in surgery right now. I'm not going to tell you not to worry, she is your partner and a hero of this city, we all worry with you Officer Wilde. If the object in her side didn't hit anything vital, she could be up in a few weeks and returning to duty in a few months."

Nick sat staring blankly at his paws, "Doc, there had to have been something more I could have done...I...I watched her die in the ambulance."

Dr, Krakenhund, stood up and put his pawn on Nick's shoulder and spoke softly "Wlide, your quick thinking with your tie DID save her life. If you hadn't done that, she would have died at the scene. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Nick inhaled deeply and smiled, "Sure, Doc...I'll just go to the waiting room then."

The wolf nodded and let him leave the office. Nick walked the winding hall until he came to a full waiting room. Everyone was there. Clawhauser, Fangmeyer, Wolford, Delgato and even the Chief. The Ottertons were sitting in the corner along with Mr Manchas. They all looked to Nick who's throat suddenly dried up at the sight. No words were spoken as they all took turns giving Nick the loving embrace of friends and partners that he so desperately needed at that moment.

Wolford was the first one to break the silence, "So Nick, why do you let your uniform go to shambles like this?" Everyone looked at Wolford with shocked expressions but only until Nick started laughing hysterically. Then they all shared a chuckle.

Nick stopped laughing enough to take a deep breath. "Well I suppose that I'm just letting myself go after only a single month."

Chief Bogo approached Nick with a look on his face that made his ears droop "I know you have been through a lot Wilde, but..." Bogo sighed deeply "I need your report while it is still fresh in your mind. Forensics will get most of the story, but I need your report."

Nick knew that was coming. He sighed and nodded as the Chief led him outside to give his report. The cool air was pleasant after being cooped up in that ambulance and hospital room. There he paced back and forth giving all the details he could to Bogo that he could about the explosion, and...Judy. The sting was still there. He put his paw to his mouth as the images flashed back, and tears trickled down his red fur. He steadied his breathing while Chief Bogo waited in respectful silence. Nick let his paw down and wiped it on his chest feeling the slight crinkle of paper, where the zmail still sat. He never got to show it to Judy. His heartbeat skipped for a moment. 'Should I tell the chief?' Doubt still wracked his mind. He would wait until Judy was done in surgery to make that choice. For his part, Bogo was...less grumbly and even showed what could be called compassion.

Bogo stood up from the bench he had been sitting on during Nick's report and but his hoof on his shoulder. "Clear your doubts, you did good Wilde. Despite what we all believed, you have been and are, a good cop, and an even better partner. We should all be so lucky. We are all here for you and Hopps should you need anything. Now if you will excuse me, I need to call her parents to let them know what has happened."

Nick nodded not envying that part of the Chief's job and watched him leave before he decided that it would be best to get cleaned up. His uniform was in tatters along with his fur, all blackened and matted from the dried blood. He pulled out his phone and called Finnick.

"Whatchu want, Fuzz?"

Nick smiled at the sound of his old friend's voice. "I've a favor to ask of you; can you go to my place and grab a spare uniform for me and bring it to Zootopia General?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Finnick, you there?"

"How is she Nick?"

Nick sighed deeply "You heard?"

"Course I heard, you're the one who gave me the police scanner fool!"

He took a moment before responding, "There is a chance that she will be better in a few months. But if...well we still don't know...look do you still have my spare key or not?"

"Yeah yeah I got your key, I've been eating your leftovers all day since I bought them bug burgers two days ago. Grabbing your clown outfit now. Out"

The line went silent. Nick just wanted to be ready when they called for them. He saw a passing jaguar and stopped her for a moment. "Excuse me miss, are there showers I could use? I'm...uncomfortable like this."

She stopped and stared for a moment as it dawned on Nick that she was the jaguar from the ambulance. He was getting tired of looking at the world through a blur as his stomach wheeled. She told him that there was a faculty shower room he could use. He thanked her, not just for the tip, but everything. The quick arrival time, saving his friend and partner...just everything. The conversation drew on for a few minutes before they both shared a hug and went their separate ways. Nick wasn't sure how paramedics could do the job they did every day. Animal's lives resting in their paws on a regular basis. This time she was dangerously close to losing one of those lives.

Nick looked out over the west and watched the sun slipping beneath the horizon and admired the colors. It all brought him a slice of peace he had been seeking. The day had been long but it wouldn't be over until Judy was awake and on duty again. He missed that bunny already just thinking about the time it would take for her to be rehabilitated. He sighed deeply thinking about it as a very familiar brown van pulled up in front of the hospital. The window rolled down and a small head with huge ears leaned out.

"Yo, earth to Nick, Got ya clown outfit."

Nick smiled at the Fennec Fox as he made his reply, "Thanks buddy, I owe ya."

Finnick smiled, "Nah Nick, you do me plenty. Now if you tell anyone I said that you can meet my bat! Ciao!"

With that he tossed Nick his spare uniform and drove off. Nick smiled to himself as he headed back into the hospital. He passed Delgato and Clawhauser as they were leaving to return to their duties. Nick thanked them before continuing on his walk to the showers. With some quick directions he found himself in the hospital locker room. Due to the hour becoming late, it was deserted. Nick found a nice corner bench and plopped down. His mind wandered as he absently took the zmail out of his breast pocket and placed it in the same pocket on the clean uniform before he began to undress. The blood in his fur cracked as he peeled the uniform off, loose fur coming with it. 'Not, my blood...Judy's'.

'Need hot water, just...need it hot' Nick thought to himself as he cranked the knob. Cold for a few moments before it went nearly scalding. A few adjustments and he had it right where it needed to be. He stood in the shower looking down at the water circling the drain just like last night with one significant difference. This time there was blood...a lot of it. For the first time since his ordeal, tears didn't flow as he had none left to shed, but his emotions went rampant. Guilt was the worst. It doubled him over with sorrow and regret as he slowly slid down the wall to end up sitting on the tiled floor of the shower watching the bloody water circle the drain with clumps of his fur and even some of Judy's. His wounds screamed out in anger at the water, but Nick welcomed the pain, giving him something to focus on. His ears drooped as he brought his knees into his chest and cradled them with his chin resting on his knees. He closed his eyes and every time he did, he saw her crumpled on the floor of the cruiser. He was so tired.

"It wasn't your fault Wilde"

Nick opened his eyes and slowly looked over to find Wolford sitting on the bench next to his uniforms, paws folded into each other, elbows on his knees, eyeing him. The silence only broken by the water hitting the tile floor. Nick sighed before responding. "Of course it's my fault! She's my partner, and partners look out for each other."

Wolford chuckled and sat up leaning against the lockers "Oh so you caused the explosion that nearly leveled a city block?"

Nick thought a minute before responding "Is it possible not to cause the explosion yourself, but at the same time BE the cause of the explosion?"

He could almost hear the wolf scrunch his nose at that, "Wilde, what are you talking about? Does this have to do with the Night Howler case?"

Nick shrugged not looking in Wolford's direction "Did you know that Sully Lutrasmith was the dock supervisor? That he inspects all cargo coming in and going out of Zootopia? How high does that go then? International? Where do we go from here Wolford?"

The wolf stood up at that, his voice becoming more forceful "Are you saying someone tried to have you and Hopps assassinated?"

Nick shrugged again "I'll let you know when I find that out, bud"

He was suddenly dragged up by his paw and made to look Wolford in the eyes. The sheer strength and swiftness of his movements shocked Nick for a moment. After all Wolford was the hand to hand training expert of the precinct. Wolford's eyes harbored a seething anger barely checked, but Nick sensed it was not all directed towards him "Officer Wilde, you had better figure that out quickly. If someone is after you and Hopps, you need to find all the allies you can, and get to the bottom of this quick before we lose two good cops and the grip on this city. You are a great cop, despite all the adversity you face and we need cops like you and Hopps, the city needs you. Do you understand me?"

They were both sopping wet now but Nick was so caught off guard that he could only meekly nod in response. Wolford sighed and let him down. Only then did Nick realize he hadn't been touching the floor. "Wilde, finish up and come back to the room with us, Fangmeyer needs a friend right now since her best friend is in surgery."

"Hey Wolford?" The wolf stopped dead in his tracks without looking at Nick, but he swallowed and pressed on "Thanks...for everything."

Wolford shrugged once "We all need a hand every now and again Wilde. I've been where you are now. Ask me about my first partner sometime."

Wolford left Nick standing in the shower pondering those words. He had never heard that wolf talk about any of his previous partners before. Other officers spoke about theirs but he never did. He pondered it as he dried off and got dressed in the spare uniform brought by Finnick. All that was left was his badge. He examined it in his paws; what a state that badge was in. Scratched and smeared with blood. There was one large chip in the top of the star, near Trust and a scratch across the word Integrity. 'How appropriate' Nick thought to himself as he washed it off in the sink. Finally all done with improving his appearance he stepped back out into the waiting room to find all the others had left except for Wolford and Fangmeyer. Just as he was about to sit down, an antelope came over in doctor scrubs. Everyone in the room stood.

The doctor looked at the three officers lingering a moment on the damp fox and wolf, but smiled anyway "Officer Hopps is out of surgery and stable. She was very lucky that the piece of lodged against her hip bone. That prevented any serious internal injuries. Then there was the severed artery under her arm that had been closed with the neck tie. That alone saved her life as if she had lost any more blood, we would not have been able to save her. She will make a full recovery."

Nick was the first to step forward ears up with anticipation, "Can we see her doc?"

The antelope smiled "Yes you can, right this way." He started to lead them down the hall way as he continued to speak. "Mind you she will not be awake for a while. Her body went into shock so it is likely that she will regain full contentiousness in a few days, free to walk in a week and free to go in two..maybe three depending if any infections crop up. Here we are, please keep your voices low while in the room."

The room was dim with the lighting turned down, and the soft beeping of the heart monitor. Judy looked so small in the bed with four different line disappearing beneath the bed sheets and one into each arm. One was blood. Fangmeyer pulled up a padded chair and offered it to Nick as she took the rolling chair usually reserved for the doctor. Wolford stood. They all sat in silence for quite some time.

Nick reached out and took her paw in his, and gave it a gentle squeeze "I'm so sorry Carrots, this shouldn't have happened. I will find those responsible, they'll be brought to justice, just don't take too long" He shot the tigress a smirk and wink "I'm not sure how much of Fangmeyer I can take"

She took the joke for what it was and joined in "Seriously Judy, don't leave me hanging with this fox, you know how he can be sometimes" She paused a moment "Nick, I'm going to go for a walk for a bit; do you need anything?"

Nick shook his head "Thanks Fang, but I have everything I need here."

Fangmeyer nodded and she and Wolford left Nick alone in the room. He couldn't take his eyes off her. The color under her fur had returned and she did look better. Not nearly one hundred percent but on the right road. Nick pulled out his phone suddenly remembering Wolford's advice in the shower and dialed a number that was familiar to him. The buzzing ended with a thick accent.

"Tundra town Limo service, this is Raymond, How may I help you?"

Nick cleared his throat, "Hello Raymond, this is Nick Wilde."

"Mr Big said that if you no call tonight, we call you tomorrow. I give you his personal number. You call after you hang up with me yes?"

Nick smiled "Right away big guy. Got my pen ready, send me the number."

After some brief pleasantries, Ray told him to call. It seemed that he didn't want to hear any information about Judy until after Mr Big did. Nick redialed the phone and waited for only a single ring before the raspy voice came over the line.

"Speak"

It was incredible how that little shrew could sound so intimidating with a single word. "Mr Big, its Nick Wilde, you heard about Judy?"

"From your own mouth Nicholas, our police scanners are always tuned to your frequency. My grandchildren love hearing their godmother's voice over the radio. Now they wonder who could have hurt her, they hear you screaming into the radio, we were the first ones to hear about it. What assistance can I offer the partner of the godmother of my grandchildren?"

Nick took a deep breath, "I believe someone in the ZPD is targeting us. I don't know how much higher this goes but it has to do with Night Howler and a dock worker. I need someone I can trust to watch over Judy as I try to find out who is responsible. I don't know who in the ZPD I can trust or how many are involved. Can you do that Mr Big?"

There was a moment of murmuring on the phone, Nick couldn't quite make out what was being said. Mr Big's voice came back over the line. "I have a limo on its way with Kevin, he will make one stop on the way but should be there within the hour."

Nick sighed deeply, "I can't thank you enough" He was cut short by the shrew.

"I offer more than this Nicholas. You need resources, people, money, supplies or information, you call Mr Big. We take care of family, rest assured, they will be found. You stay with Judy now, keep her close, you have been through much."

Nick knew Judy would be safe now, not even the ZPD wanted to touch Mr Big and an imposing, heavily armed polar bear is enough to shake even the most hearty cop on the force. "Thank you Mr Big, I will keep you informed."

"Kevin will keep me informed on Judy, you keep me informed on the assassins."

The line went dead. Nick felt good about that conversation. Went better than the first time he was with Judy at his estate. Nick put his phone on the bedside table and laid his head down on the bed nuzzling Judy's paw. Only now, that a guard was on his way, that he knew Judy would make it did Nick realize just how tired he was. His eyes began to droop as his lids became heavy. He sighed deeply and place her paw on his cheek and finally let his eyes close. For the first time since the explosion, he didn't see her crumpled form in the darks of his eyes. Now he only saw the determination he needed to see this case through. At last...sleep.

 **Notes: Judy lives! That Officer Wolford is quite the guy huh? It was pretty touch and go there for a minute with that bunny! All may seem well now, but in the next chapter, things get interesting! The plot thickens! Again, thanks to all who read and follow this story, and the review as well! Much appreciated! Please leave a review or comment, I love reading them and your reactions!**

 **Huge shout out to AngloFalcon once again!**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4 Fugitive

**Notes: Thanks again for the follows and favorites! I will keep on writing the sequel as I can. Up to chapter 8 on that. Helps me alter this one as they are proofread as well.**

 **Quick bit of trivia, I used the Doctor Krankenhund's name as a play on words. In German Krankenschwester is a nurse but the exact translation from root words is Sick Sister. Also goes in with Krankenwagan (Ambulance) And KrankenHaus (Hospital) So he is Sick Dog for literal but using this line of thinking its more like Nurse Wolf. Just fun to play around with that.**

 **Thanks again to the awesome reviews I have received that continue to improve my writing and story, and huge shout out to AngloFalcon again as my outstanding proofreader!**

 **ON TO THE CHAPTER!**

 **Chapter 4**

Fugitive

Nick didn't stir all night and awoke in the same position he had fallen asleep in. Despite the awkward position, he felt fairly well rested. When he cracked open his eyes he was surprised to find the table next to Judy's window, packed with flowers wile a large polar bear tended to them; pulling dead flowers off and discarding them, keeping the display looking like new. Nick lifted his head up slowly and looked at Judy; no change. He gave her paw a light squeeze and could swear he felt a return of the pressure. The polar bear took notice that Nick was awake and nodded at him.

Nick smiled at the massive bear "Hello Kevin, thanks for this."

Kevin nodded and spoke with a deep resonating accented voice yet softly to not disturb the resting bunny, "Mr Big said that once Judy wakes, he will come down with Fru Fru and the grandchildren to see their godmother. She looks better than she did last night yes?"

Now that he had mentioned it, she did look better. The bruising under her fur had started to dissipate and the dark, sunken look of her face had faded as well. It almost looked like she was simply sleeping. Nick nodded in agreement.

There was a soft knock on the door and Chief Bogo poked his head inside, "Mind if I join you?"

Nick looked up and smiled, "Of course Chief, come on in! I was just thanking Kevin for the fantastic job with the flowers."

Bogo glanced over at the bear with a look of slight disapproval as he stepped into the room. Bogo cleared his throat before speaking. "Kevin, would you mind giving me a moment with my officer?"

Kevin looked over at the chief with intent in his eyes, "I wont leave the godmother of my boss's grandchildren. You understand my obligations, yes? Perhaps you and fox may find different place to be if you need moment."

The chief looked like he wanted to argue but instead relented, "Sure, Officer Wilde follow me for a walk."

Nick gave Judy one last parting squeeze of the paw, "Back in a bit Carrots" and stepped out with the Chief.

They began walking down the hall in silence. Bogo led them to the garden planted in the center of the rounded building. The open top allowed sunlight to pass down into the garden and it was accessible from anywhere on the first floor being that the building was cylindrical in shape. Here in the garden, the chief sat down on a bench, Nick alongside of him and there they sat for a bit in total silence.

Cheif Bogo broke the silence with a heavy sigh. "Officer Wilde, I have been speaking with forensics about what happened yesterday. It seems that there was a bomb placed inside of the mailbox outside the diner you were at, and the forensics mice have been combing over the SUV in an attempt to uncover anything new that would explain the blast." The chief looked very uncomfortable at this point. "I am placing you on administrative leave, and advising you to stay away from the hospital, effective immediately."

Nick couldn't believe his ears and stared at the chief in shock while he never met Nick's gaze, instead choosing to focus on a leaf fluttering around in the breeze.

Nick chose not to hide his frustration. "Administrative leave? For what reason? Also, keeping me away from my partner is out of the question. I hope you have good answers for this chief!"

"Keep your voice down...look, the mice have uncovered _your_ DNA from the SUV that when dated places _you_ inside of it prior to the incident. Not only this, but there have been some incriminating papers that have been found linking you to the new Night Howler case. Some of your hairs were also found inside some of the materials used in the bomb." Bogo sighed heavily, allowing his words to sink in.

Nick felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach as he heard the Chief. He stammered out a reply, not sure if he was furious or confused...both? "You can't...that I...no Chief, you don't believe it do you? I could never do this to Judy!"

Bogo raised his hoof to slow Nick's panicked reply. "That's why I did not arrest you. Administrative PAID leave is the official word. Something is wrong here Wilde, and I need you to find it."

Nick's ears popped back up "You mean?"

Bogo nodded "Unofficially and off the record, find these animals Wilde. Bring them to my attention so we can secure our city again. Something seems off. The vehicle has been impounded all day and night, under 24 hour watch. Only officers of the ZPD were allowed in that area. This means one of two things, either you are guilty, which I don't believe for a second, or there are corrupt cops in my precinct."

Nick felt that this was his opportunity. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled the zmail out. Stained in a few places with blood, he opened it up and handed it to Bogo.

"What's this?"

Nick spoke low and feared the chief's response "Its a zmail I uncovered the night I cleaned our cruiser after the incident. I know the IP is from the ZPD net, and I didn't turn it in because of what is mentioned in it."

The massive buffalo flicked on his readers and looked over the zmail with growing shock. Nick spoke before Bogo had a chance to say anything. "I'm sorry I didn't turn it in Chief, I didn't know who to trust. I hadn't even told Judy. That's why we were meeting at the diner. I was going to tell her then and we were going to come up with a plan of attack for it...that is why we were almost killed. This is why I...I say its my fault..."

The chief put his glasses away and looked over at his only fox officer. "You were right not to trust anyone, Wilde, this could be anybody, even me since it was you and Judy who showed us that even our Mayor was capable of terrible things. However, you are wrong to assume that it is your fault." Bogo held up the zmail in his hoof to accentuate the point. "It is this officer's fault, and I am pretty sure I know who it is. The question is, how many more of these scummy officers are in my precinct? I need you to find them Wilde. Start with Domingo Delgato. He is the only one in the department with initials of DD if it is indeed going by initials. Don't tip your paw; follow him on his day off and see where he goes. Stay inside the law as best you can Wilde, because when this is all said and done, any infractions will still be punished."

Nick nodded thankfully "Got it Chief." He stood up and got ready to leave. As he was walking away Bogo spoke again.

"Officer Wilde, if I find any serious evidence pointing in your direction I will dispatch officers to find you and bring you in. Don't be home for that. I can not risk tipping off the traitor, so I must treat you as a suspect from here on." He sighed deeply "I am sorry Nick."

That last sentence hit him pretty hard. Chief Bogo never used an officer's first name. Nick stood in place, rooted like a statue wondering what he meant by it. Instead, he filled his voice with determination, "I wont let you down, Chief, I WILL find the answers. Don't call me, I'll call you."

Chief Bogo watched his first fox officer march off towards the exit. Even despite disagreeing with him, that officer was following orders. He would not stop by the room his partner was in; he was going right to work. He mumbled to himself "I know you wont let me down Nick Wilde, just don't get yourself killed. I can't put another name on the memorial board in my office."

Nick went home. He stopped to pick up his tattered uniform from the front desk first. They had washed it for him since blood was a hazard. They insisted after all. However it was stained and frayed beyond repair. He was going to keep it anyway, as a reminder of why he would press on despite someone trying to turn everyone he trusted against him. Nick decided he would use it as his strength. Judy would never believe that Nick tried to have her killed or had anything to do with Night Howler, and she was all that mattered to him at the moment.

When he got home, the first thing he did was take off his uniform. Administrative leave meant he couldn't wear it. Nick stood there staring at it as he hung it in his closet. The clean uniform with the damaged badge...the badge! He reached out and carefully removed it from his uniform and pinned it to the inside of his wallet. He wouldn't forget what he was now, WHO he was, because even with how successful as he was as a hustler, he just couldn't go back to that life now knowing this one. Nick stood there gazing at his badge for a moment stripped to the fur just waiting for an idea, a plan, or Judy to walk in and smack him with a good idea. Nick began to pace about his apartment thinking out loud.

"If Judy was here...well first off she'd tell me to put some clothes on...then what?" he sat down on his bed, absently tapping his wallet on his chin in deep thought. "The only lead...is Delgato. Well that sets it, I need to follow that lion."

Nick stood up and went back into his closet and dug out his old tropical shirt and trousers. He looked into his mirror to get his tie on and was taken aback for a moment. What he saw was not the fox he remembered himself being. His deep green eyes filled with charm were now fiery with determination and bruised under his crimson fur. His left ear showed ugly stitches that took up a decent portion of the upper half. The back of his head had stitches that extended to the side of his face just under his right ear and his fur didn't quite lay as flat as it had before the blast. He looked like a completely different fox. Nick smiled as he got an idea. He rushed back to his closet and went digging again. He found an old ragged camo scheme hoodie and a pair of torn cargo pants, and changed into them as he pulled off his tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt. Looking back into the mirror he saw something more was needed so he improvised. He reached up to his ear with a claw and pulled out a few of his stitches and wiggled the wound until it bled again. He carefully collected the blood and liberally applied it to the fur on his face and then drew the hoodie over his ears.

Nick laughed as he looked at his reflection "I look like a total dirt-bag...perfect. Okay lets see here...phone?..check...wallet? Check...and house key...check. What else?" He stood there looking around his apartment while his paw was deep in his pocket, prying his wallet open so he could rub one of his pads over the scratched word 'Integrity'. "Right, all that is left is to start."

He stepped out a different fox than when he stepped in, locked his door and sighed deeply. He never thought he would have to hunt a fellow officer.

It took some work but he managed to find the lion and his new partner, Albalupus, patrolling the Rainforest District. Nick's camo hoodie actually came in handy for keeping him out of sight as he shadowed the pair as they patrolled on foot. Nothing too unusual, it was a presence patrol, walking through small subdivisions and businesses. However, he did notice something out of the ordinary; Delgato lifted an old tire at the mouth of a dilapidated alley and deposited something in a plastic bag underneath the tire before continuing with Albalupus. The wolf didn't seem to notice Delgato's minor detour. Nick's mind went back to the zmail that mentioned 'dead drops'. He needed to see what was in that note. Waiting until the pair disappeared behind a corner, Nick started to walk over to the tire before a panther showed up first. Nick quickly altered his course to a bench and plopped down and took out his phone; pretending to be engrossed by whatever was on his screen.

The panther gave a quick look around as Nick recorded it while moving his paw over the screen like he was typing. It seemed to work since the suspect lifted the tire and grabbed the small bag and scurried away. Nick closed the camera on his phone and pulled up his contacts. He quickly found Finnick by the profile picture. It was of Finnick in the little baby outfit that they used for the pawpsicle hustles. Nick started typing.

'Hey Finnick, got another favor to ask'

Nick only had to wait a few moments before his phone buzzed with a reply.

'Whatchu want now fool?!'

Nick thought about what day it was...Wednesday...remembering the schedule he knew where Delgato was supposed to patrol on foot next and sent his reply.

'Meet me at the Desert Oasis restaurant in Sahara Square ASAP, I will explain everything there.'

The phone buzzed with his reply.

'Cool'

Nick smiled as he stood up and walked to the bus stop for the trip across town. He couldn't imagine that Albalupus would be involved being so new, but then, being new, he hadn't had much time to get to know the wolf. He would have to just keep following them for the time being to see how they move and act on patrol.

The bus ride was quick and uneventful but his appearance did earn him uneasy looks from animals on the bus and even the driver had cast him a sideways glance. Nick paid them no mind, his new appearance warranted those looks. He got off at Sahara Square and walked towards the restaurant. He spotted Finnick's van nearby and soon saw his friend sitting at the front window. Nick walked in and sat down at the table with Finnick.

The little fox looked up at him with a confused expression. "What? Looking for a hand out? Get lost! I'm waiting for somebody."

Nick laughed as he pulled back his hoodie "Well wait no longer buddy."

Finnick's eyes got big for a moment as he stared at Nick. "Not a really good look for ya Nick, I think I actually preferred you looking like a cop."

Nick shook his head, "I am a cop, Finnick."

He laughed, "Yea! But now you look like a bum!" Finnick stopped giggling and sighed. "So what favor? Its gonna cost ya."

Nick leaned it a bit "First off, you get to help me take down a dirty cop, all you gotta do is follow any animal that picks up whatever the cop drops. I will follow the cop. Keeps you away from antagonizing the police and gets me closer to solving this case. Do that and I upgrade your van's interior however you like."

Finnick sat thinking for a moment "Anything in the interior?"

Nick shook his head. "No Finnick, the whole interior."

The fennec fox sat back and crossed his arms, "This deal is weighed heavily in my favor Nick, you realize you hustlin' yourself right?"

Now Nick sat back against the chair with his paws on the table. "Catching this guy is worth any price Finnick. He had a role in what happened to Judy and I."

The tiny fox stood up in his chair, not really getting much bigger. Nick had to suppress a snicker. "Done, lets find the fuzz ball."

Nick stood up and walked out with Finnick to his van climbing in the passenger seat he waited until the smaller fox was in his seat. "Also, it should be noted, that I'm on administrative leave. As of now, I have no police powers to speak of."

Finnick simply shrugged, "Shit, we ain't doin' nothin' illegal, just a couple of mammals out for a drive. Where we goin'?"

"Drive around the block until you see either the lion or his cruiser."

They didn't need to wait long, right on time, Delgato showed up for his last beat of the night. Nick had his friend park the van across a parking lot as he dug out the old pair of binoculars that he had given Finnick a few years back to help scope out scores. He watched the lion through the somewhat foggy lenses waiting for the drop, if there was even going to be another. Nick feared for a moment that he had missed his chance back in the Rainforest District, but Delgato soon stopped by a building as Albalupus was speaking with a citizen. Delgato looked around for a moment before he pried a loose brick from the building and slipped another envelope into the crevice before replacing the brick. Nick handed Finnick the binos and described the spot to him.

The tiny fox nodded waving his ears in the air as he did. "Got it Nick. Now do ya want me to follow the envelope or the animal that picks it up?"

Nick thought for a moment, it was a good question. "Follow the evidence Finnick, that will lead to arrests not dead end suspects that wont talk."

Finnick laughed "Why did I have to think of that Nick? Ain't you the cop?"

Now it was Nick's turn to laugh remembering a similar conversation he had with Judy. "Look at you sly fox...ya know, you would actually make a pretty good cop."

Finnick scoffed "Get out of my van." He mumbled under his breath "Me a cop? Pfft ya right."

Nick hopped out of the van, "Good luck Finnick. My phone is on silent, call if you find anything."

He knew that in order for Delgato to finish his work day, he would need to go back to the precinct to turn in his cruiser and log out after filing his report of the day's activities. He had some time to kill so he decided he would walk. It had been a long day and he needed to keep his senses about him, a walk would be good. Along the way his thoughts drifted back to Judy. He wondered if she had woken up yet, if the chief had told her what was being done, what was going on within the ZPD and how he was involved. It worried him a little but he had to have faith in his chief. Clearly he didn't want to put Nick on leave, but rather had too. The sound of a reporter on a TV in a store window caught his attention. They were talking about the blast that injured Judy. He stopped to listen.

"The blast damaged several business and wounded 12 animals including two police officers. The officers in question have been identified as Judy Hopps, and Nicholas Wilde. We have recording of a statement released by the ZPD only moments ago."

The screen changed to a recording of Chief Bogo giving a few details."The cause of the explosion has been determined as a premeditated attack. We are using everything at our disposal to find the bomber."

There was a general cluster of noise as reporters tried to catch his attention, the Chief pointed at one.

"Is it true that this bombing is related to the Night Howler drug found in Sully Lutrasmith's SUV that the officers in question apprehended two days ago?"

Chief Bogo was visibly shocked by the question, "I have no comment on that at this time."

The same reporter pressed on, "Is it also true that Officer Wilde has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation regarding his involvement in the blast that critically wounded Officer Hopps?"

The Chief was obviously frustrated but to his credit; kept calm, "I don't know where you are getting your information but just know that I cannot comment about an ongoing investigation, that is all I have time for."

The broadcast cut back to the news anchor. "In light of these recent events, the question has been proposed by the public about whether or not a fox is fit to be an officer of the law. More at 8 right here on ZNN"

Nick had his paws balled into fists so tightly that his claws drew blood. He could feel it dripping off his knuckles. Judy was sure to see that report at some point when she awoke. He didn't want that. He turned and stalked off towards the ZPD precinct, mood darker than midnight under a rock. Even after helping solve the Night Howler case, he is still seen as a shifty fox, unworthy of trust. The anger, seething rage barely checked. Nick had the urge to smash something, to show the world what kind of animal they portrayed him as. Instead he shoved his paws into his pockets where his paw met his wallet. The anger melted as he pried it open and caressed the badge inside. This time his pad rubbed the word 'Trust' and over the chipped star. He sighed deeply as he continued to walk.

"I've got to trust Judy, the Chief, and the public." He mused to himself. "If I lose any of those three ideals...I'm no better than the news, or the small minded individuals. Keep going."

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he quickly retrieved it hoping to see Judy's face on the screen. Instead it was Bogo's scowl. Nick sighed deeply before answering the phone.

"Hey Chief...I just saw the news.."

Bogo sighed on the other end of the line. "I am sorry Wilde...you are not home are you?"

Nick chuckled "No Chief, you told me to not be home when you had to bring me in. I'm guessing that's why you called." Silence was the reply he got. Nick pressed on, "Hey, Chief, I know that it's not your choice. Do what you have to do. Issue the warrant. I know that evading arrest will likely cost me my job and a few years in a cage. Chasing this to the end may cost me my life...at least at that point you wont get to arrest me" Nick sighed deeply, "Judy is worth it, the ZPD is worth it...you...are worth it Chief. Catch me if you can."

Nick hung up the phone before Chief Bogo could even reply, and smiled to himself. He was going to see this through no matter the cost. His paw still on his badge now brushed the last word, the only one undamaged by the blast...'Bravery'.

Chief Bogo sat staring at his phone, the line droned with the monotonous tone of a one sided line. He didn't reply to his fugitive officer; nothing he would have said would have helped the situation. He looked up at the memorial board on his wall across from his desk. There were nine names etched in their own small plates. Above the names were the words _'To the dedicated officers who went above and beyond the call of duty and made the ultimate sacrifice. Gone, but not forgotten.'_

He hated the thought of adding Nick's name to the memorial, there were already too many names on that damned thing. He started the memorial when the first officer under his command died in the line of duty. He had ordered the officer and his partner to follow an animalnapper into a building on the outskirts of the Rainforest District. The animalnapper locked up his hostage and turned to face the officers that were on their way up the stairs. He was trapped and knew it and stood fast as a last stand. He fired through the door trying to scare them off but ended up killing the first officer and wounding the second. The wounded partner had to be dragged out screaming out to his dead partner. The standoff lasted four hours before a SWAT sniper was ordered to take the shot, ending the standoff and saving the child.

The suspect...had been a fox. It was amazing that there was no friction having Wilde on the force as he had expected especially since that slain officer's partner still served at the ZPD. He had spoken with that officer about Wilde, but he had expressed no concerns over working with him. It seems he should speak with that officer again, just to be sure.

The chief finally hung up the phone and looked up at that first name on the memorial. The one that stung the most since it was his order that cost that officer his life, and here he was coming full circle with an order that would likely cause the death of the first fox on the force. A single tear marred his desk's pristine surface.

 **Notes: Yeah...a bit rough on that one with Nick now under investigation, but at least the Chief believes him...right? Well the next chapter, we get to see the story go deeper and find new characters, as Nick seeks answers and where they lead him.**

 **Many thanks to the readers! Without you these are just words on a page! Hope you continue to enjoy the story as I have enjoyed writing it!**

 **Travel Well,**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5 Canals District

**Notes: Good Day and good tidings! I bring yet another chapter to this story for your viewing pleasure! Thank you so much for all of your feedback and reviews! You are all fantastic and I really couldn't do this without you guys! Special thanks to AngloFalcon once again for his outstanding support in my fiction! I have already rambled enough, so I will let you get on with your reading! Please enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5**

Canals District

Nick had seen Delgato, Wolford, and Chief Bogo all leave the ZPD and go their separate ways. He only had eyes on Delgato though; he needed to follow that lion. He knew that Delgato lived in the Sahara District, but the bus he was getting on said 'Canals district'. While the street appeared quiet, Nick rushed over to the bus keeping low the whole way and jumped onto the protruding bumper. Hopefully the roads would be deserted enough that he wouldn't be seen...or at least routes desolate enough. The nights had become cold as the winter began to creep up on the city and his beleaguered paws were beginning to go numb when after what seemed like hours the bus finally came to a stop. Nick let go and peeked around the corner to see Delgato get off and start walking away from him.

 _'Where are you going Delgato?'_ he thought to himself. He used every 'shifty fox' trick he knew to keep himself in the shadows and out of sight. Years of hustling had honed the skills nature had already gifted him. It seemed to work because Delgato seemed none the wiser; either that or he was getting too tired to notice.

The felid officer was very careful. Nick almost lost him a few times as the lion doubled back on himself, and went around a block and down alleys. However, after about an hour, Nick watched him come to the door of a warehouse off the main highway into the district. The lion gave two quick raps on the door followed by four long knocks. A few moments passed before the door opened and Delgato stepped inside.

Nick pulled out his phone and opened the GPS to get an idea of where he was at. Once satisfied of the exact location, he continued watching the warehouse, struggling to stay awake. He was hiding among a stack of crates that offered the best view of the entrance but still had good enough cover. He wouldn't be discovered by anyone not actually looking for him...so not the best spot, but it would work.

Nick started to nod off when finally something was happening. One of the massive doors to the warehouse was opening and the noise startled Nick back to full alert, ears perking up at the sound. The opening door revealed a cargo truck. It seemed unassuming enough and Nick held up his phone and started recording what he was seeing. The truck pulled out giving him a first look into the warehouse. He could see armed guards and crates with no labels. However he did see one thing that stuck out more than all of those. It was a ram in a biohazard suit minus a gas mask. Even from this distance he knew it was Doug. He was one loose end of the Night Howler case nine months ago that had never been caught. If he was here, so was the Night Howler production. With a quick count Nick saw ten armed guards, not including Delgato and Doug. He also saw a few other ZPD uniforms. He didn't recognize any of them, as they must have been from the local police station. Nick remembered it being Precinct 9. They always sent in favorable reports claiming that there was little criminal activity, but Nick already knew why. He hustled here a few times and when a ZPD officer from the local department did manage to catch him, all he had to do was grease the officer's paws, and he would pretend not to see anything. Nick had never even been booked once. Clean record as far as anyone was concerned. Never brought it up once he was an officer simply because he had forgotten about it all those years ago. He waited a few minutes after the door had closed before sighing deeply and walking out into the district.

The Night Howler case had not cropped up in the main city, yet there had to be activity somewhere. Why were they producing it if they were not using it? Nick's head swam painfully while he walked away from the warehouse, remembering leaving his pain medication at his home. He quietly enjoyed it the pain as it helped keep his thoughts sharp but when combined with the late hour, stressful day, and not the most restful position of sleep last night, it was becoming difficult to focus. He had been walking for a while to make sure he was far enough from the warehouse before checking his phone. 01:23.

 _'Yep, need to sleep somewhere'_

He looked around but couldn't see any hotels nearby. He decided to check his phone's GPS to see if any were nearby but as he brought it up again, he saw his battery indicator flashing red right before his screen went black as it finally died.

 _'Yup, forgot my charger too. Didn't expect the news report to strand me out here. Otherwise I would've just gone home.'_

Nick walked a while longer before he found a secluded alley between two houses that looked decent. There was an old blanket that had been torn up and tossed out. He laid some old cardboard boxes flat on the ground to keep the ground from leaching his warmth from his body and tried to curl up under the blanket. It smelled of puma and garbage, but he couldn't possibly care any less. Right now he just wanted sleep. As his eyes drooped down, he softly giggled to himself. "I've actually slept in worse places before...oh mom would be so proud."

"Hey, wake up!"

Nick felt a kick to his foot. Nothing hard, just enough to jostle him out of his drooling mess of glorious sleep. He moaned and pulled himself in tighter against the cold of what he assumed was morning. The kick came again as well as the deep voice he had hoped was from a dream and not actually real.

"Get up ya bum, you can't sleep here. You're on my property."

Nick finally opened his eyes to have them assaulted by the morning sunlight. Someone twice as tall than himself and silhouetted against the light but his shape was...unfamiliar to Nick right off hand. He sighed deeply and sat up to get a better look. It was a komodo dragon, bundled up against the cool morning air looking none too pleased with Nick sleeping on his property. He sighed as his body protested loudly at him standing up.

He looked at the dragon with a neutral expression, "What time is it?" he asked halfway through a yawn.

The dragon looked at his watch, "9:34am"

Nick scratched at a few of his healing wounds as he nodded. "Hey, thanks for not calling the cops, I appreciate it."

The dragon only shrugged and spoke with mild irritation. "They're useless anyway. Wouldn't have helped a fork-tongue like me."

Nick stopped his scratching and looked the dragon in the eye. "A what?"

"A fork-tongue. It's the name given to us by the mammals of the district. Other flattering names given to us reptiles are things like fringe-head, scale-back, and slit-eye. Egg sucker is probably the worst, to be honest."

Nick shuddered at the horrible things he was hearing. He thought _he_ had it bad being a fox. This guy had him beat by a lot. He shook his head. "I'm sorry about all that. Hey, what's your name?"

The dragon cocked his head quizzically to the side before answering. "Calvin...Calvin Deepstalk."

Nick nodded and stifled another yawn. "Nick Wilde, nice to meet you." He extended his paw to Calvin who stared for a moment.

"You want...to shake my claws?"

Nick was momentarily dumbfounded by the question. "Of course...is there a way animals greet each other here in the Canals?"

Calvin shook his head, "Most mammals don't want to touch us."

Nick smiled, paw still extended. "I'm not 'most mammals'."

Calvin flicked his tongue out and blinked once before finally taking his paw in claw. "No, I suppose you're not."

Nick chuckled good-humouredly. "Okay Calvin, can I call you Cal? Do you know any good restaurants in the area? I'm starving!"

Calvin looked offended...or maybe amused? Nick couldn't read facial expressions of reptiles, that was part of the reason he didn't hustle the Canals District long back in the day. Calvin's response helped Nick associate the expression though. "Hey, you sleep on my land, now you expect me to buy you breakfast too?"

Nick let out a true laugh for the first time since Wolford's comment in the hospital three days ago. "Oh no, of course not! I'll buy for the both of us. What is your favorite place? We'll go there."

Calvin eyed him suspiciously but relented. "Just a block away, come."

Nick's spirits were high, despite his situation. As they strolled through the streets together, he had to ask some questions to try and advance his case; this guy was a local and could help. "Hey, did you hear about that Night Howler case? Pretty crazy huh? Solved by the first bunny cop!"

Calvin snickered a bit, "Yeah, heard about it a month ago. That was pretty crazy. The mayor...and assistant mayor? It was like bad TV. I thought there was a fox that helped her too. Heard he's joining the ZPD."

Nick didn't try to hide his surprise. "A month ago? The Night Howler case ended nine months ago! How are you just hearing about it?"

The dragon's eye shifted to him as the corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Nick couldn't tell him that he was that fox from the news, that he was a cop since he already made it clear how he felt about cops. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "No, I'm from Bunnyburrow."

Calvin stopped dead in his tracks, laughing so hard his forked tongue practically lolled out of his mouth. Between breaths he managed to get a few words off. "A fox...haha, fr-from B-Bunnyburrow!"

Nick could see the irony, but Judy had told him of her childhood rival Gideon Grey. So he knew it was not unheard of. He simply laughed with the dragon. After a few moments of snickering and walking, they came to the restaurant. The neon sign said 'Fox N' Hound Eatery' and buzzed with the constant hum of electricity flowing through the glass. The place looked like it had seen better days but Nick saw why it appealed to Cal so much. On the door there was a sign in bold letters - 'Scales and Tails Welcome'.

They walked in setting off the bell hanging over the door. Cal went first and went over to the breakfast bar and Nick joined him.

"Be with you in a moment!" A voice called from somewhere in the kitchen behind the bar. The tone was filled with cheer and made Nick smile already.

Cal responded equally cheerfully, "Take your time Doris, It's just me and a crazy hobo fox from Bunnyburrow"

Doris laughed from the back. After a few moments of shuffling about she came out to greet her morning customers. She was a fox, but the most unique fox Nick had ever seen...her eyes burned red as blood and her nose was of pure pink. Her fur was white as snow, and though he tried not to stare, Nick couldn't help himself. She was unique.

She simply smiled. "Yep, he's not from here. What ya havin Cal? The usual?"

He returned her smile. "You know me too well Doris. How about you Nick?"

Nick finally broke his gaze and stammered as he spoke, "I-I will have..uh, whatever he's having."

"Coming right up, boys," she said while still smiling and turning away to disappear back into the kitchen. Calvin elbowed Nick in the ribs.

"Hey, Canals District to Nick!"

Nick shook his head. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude to her...I've never seen such a...she is...captivating."

Calvin shrugged, "Well you are one of only two foxes who ever thought so. The others didn't care for her at all. Treated her pretty bad. Her husband was quite the reynard though. Loved her with everything he had."

Nick looked at Calvin, curiosity getting the better of him. "Husband 'was'? I sense a story there."

The dragon's expression fell. "Story for a different location, Nick."

The breakfast went quite nicely. Calvin seemed to be happy to talk with someone who didn't care about him being a reptile and Nick found his conversation to be easy going and quite pleasant. The food was great too. Maybe hunger clouded his judgment a bit but he devoured it readily enough. The check came and Calvin started to reach for it but Nick stopped Calvin with a paw held up. Doris stopped midway still holding the check.

Nick put on a teasing tone. "No, no! I slept in your yard and promised I would pay! Besides, this place's prices are fantastic. No worries."

He opened his wallet without thinking about the badge pinned inside. The sunlight glinting off the gold caught his attention as well as Doris and Calvin as if it was a lighthouse. Nick froze as he felt their eyes on him.

He sighed as he set his wallet down on the counter. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with either of you."

Calvin stood up from the breakfast bar, taking a somewhat aggressive stance, anger coloring his words. "No you _haven't._ What precinct are you from? Who sent you to keep an eye on me? Was it Sharnstead?"

Nick stayed seated but swiveled to face Calvin. "Okay, the truth, I'm Nick Wilde just like I said, but I'm from Precinct 1. Remember that fox who was joining the ZPD in the wake of the Night Howler case? Well, like I said, that was nine months ago, and I'm that fox. I'm also on the run because Night Howler showed up again and I'm being framed despite being blown up alongside my partner for making the discovery of a new supply. You will hear about it in 6 months, I guess. I could prove all of this if my phone wasn't dead."

They didn't look convinced. Nick only sighed. "Look, I don't expect you to help me, not after this. I'm just trying to solve the corruption in my department and I don't know who to trust anymore."

Calvin sat back down in his seat and looked over at Doris. "How about another cup of coffee, my dear? I think his explanation may take some time, but color me interested." His eyes shifted back to Nick, as Doris filled their cups. "Corruption you say? Do tell."

Nick relayed all of the information he could. The SUV, zmail, the explosion, the news report and recent warrant for his arrest. Well, he was pretty sure there was a warrant anyway. At the end of it all they had drained several cups of coffee. Nick kept track, intending to pay for it all...and leave a generous tip.

Finally, Doris spoke. "My husband...the Night Howler is here. He is in our clinic awaiting antidote."

Nick's ears perked up with anticipation. He found the activity he was looking for but his thoughts diverged quickly as he processed the rest of what she had said. "What do you mean 'waiting'?"

She stifled a sob but a single tear dampening her pure white fur gave her emotions away. "I don't have the money to pay for the antidote. It was very expensive to make and people in the Canals just don't have that kind of money lying around."

Nick stood up breathing heavily. Anger clouded his mind as he thought of Delgato. "What do you mean PAY? The antidote was given freely to the affected animals of the city! Why is this happening? What is going on in this district?"

Calvin looked at Nick and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "The _officers_ of Precinct 9 control everything in this district. From the flow of information to medication. They own this district."

Nick's rage was barely checked. It surprised him how upset he truly was at this distressing news. He turned to the albino fox. "How much is the antidote?"

She didn't try to hide her tears anymore. "$1,500"

Nick's mind spun. He had never paid that much for anything. He was going to do something he would never regret and it was the only thing he could do. He sighed deeply and smiled at Doris and leveled out his voice to a soothing calm. "Could I please have the check, Sweetheart?"

She nodded as she gave him the check, still sobbing quietly.

Nick only smiled and winked at her. "I have someone special in my life too. I know how it feels." He looked down at the price. Even with the coffee it only just hit $30. He put down the total with the tip, placed his money in, folded the checkbook closed and slid it across the table towards her as he continued. "Don't worry Doris, things have a way of working themselves out."

He turned back to Calvin with his smirk. "Can we go back to your place? I have some homework to do and I would really appreciate your help...and company...and couch."

Doris watched the fox and dragon leave her diner. She was deeply confused by the fox's sudden change of attitude and continued to stare at the door, check in paw. She remembered her work and set down the check next to the register as she bused the counter and took the dishes back to the sink. The tears flowed freely while she was alone, salting the washing water. How could things work out? She barely made enough to keep the lights on and still feed herself. Without her husband, the job was becoming too much. Not that there were many customers, just that the loneliness stabbed at her heart. They had built this business together and in better times, and had a customer base that came from around the district for meals. She finished washing the dishes and walked back to the counter to stare out the window as she often did, but saw she had not finished with Nick's bill, and the black book still rested where she had left it.

She reached over and opened it. Her eyes widened and her heart fluttered as she read the price. That fox, that _officer,_ had written in the total with the tip. $1,530.00, and it was all there.

On the check he had written her a note,

"Keep the change."

 **There you go folks, hope you enjoyed and more to come soon! Here there be reptiles, and Calvin is quite the guy. How deep does the hate go in this district? What will Nick find on his investigations? What will Judy do when she hears of all this? Only the next few chapters will tell you! Stay tuned in for more, but for now, I must leave you here. Should have the next chapter out around a weeks time. Fear not dear readers, the climax is building and plot thickening. We are quickly approaching some of my favorite chapters and I have hopes that they will be favorites of yours as well!**

 **Feel free to comment and review, pms are welcomed as well!**

 **Travel well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6 Media Sensation

**Notes: Here we are folks, another chapter for your viewing pleasure. Not we get to learn of Judy's reaction to all of this! Thanks again to AngloFalcon, without whom, this would have never been possible!**

 **Enough from me! Here is the chapter!**

 **Chapter 6**

Media Sensation

Judy's heart throbbed painfully in her chest. Her eyes stung. She could no longer hear the words on the TV, only the murmur of it. The banner on the bottom of the screen said "Arrest Officer Wilde? Public seeks justice for wounded cop."

She shut off the TV, ears drooped over her back as she breathed heavily, sobbing quietly.

"There, there, Judy. We know that Nicholas is not capable of such things. Dry your sad eyes. My grandchildren do not like seeing their godmother so sad."

Despite his raspy tone, the arctic shrew could be quite comforting when he wanted to be. Even Kevin had shared kind words with her when she awoke without her partner at her side. She had to practically threaten him to get him to say anything about what was going on.

Judy looked over at Mr. Big on her night stand. A tiny couch had been brought along with them so that the tiny family could sit with her. Judy wiped her eyes before speaking. "I just don't know what to believe anymore. Maybe it's the meds they pump in me for the pain but...what's going on? This is not the Zootopia I had before all of this! I need to hear Nick tell his side of the story! I don't think he could do something like this!"

Mr. Big sighed deeply. "What does your heart tell you, my dear?"

Judy smiled, thinking for a moment. "That Nick would never do anything to hurt me. There has to be some explanation."

Mr. Big nodded, "To keep you safe, we will not discuss Nicholas or his whereabouts. Just know, he is working to solve this and if he is away, it is only to keep you safe."

Judy nodded and looked over at the table near the window. The flowers numbered in the dozens, their well-being tended to by one of Mr. Big's bears at all times. She smiled seeing them and wondered where they all came from and who sent them. There was a short knock on the door and it opened to a wolf's head peeking in. She did not recognize him.

"Hello Officer Hopps. Mind if I step in?"

"No of course not, come in."

The wolf stepped in and gave a curt nod to everyone before he spoke. "Officer Hopps, is it okay to discuss your medical information with the present company in the room?"

Judy looked at Mr. Big and his kin with a smile. "Of course we can, they're family."

Though his eyes were shrouded by bushy eyebrows, the smile that plastered itself on Mr. Big's face was plainly visible. The doctor smiled at that.

"My name is Dr. Krankenhund. I tended to your partner's wounds after the explosion. Your surgeon had a family emergency and needed to return to the Sahara District. He left me in charge of your well being. So first things first..."

The wolf shuffled through the papers on his clipboard for a moment before continuing. "Ahh here we go, so it looks like all your surgery went well and you're healing quite nicely. As soon as you feel willing, you may get up and start walking around. You need to report significant pain if you have any as well as any bleeding or dizziness. Let a nurse know before you leave your room for anything."

Dr. Krankenhund shuffled a few more papers mumbling to himself. "If all goes well with your recovery, you could be out of here in about a week. You rabbits seem to heal quickly! Anyway, that's all I have for you. Any questions?"

Judy didn't even get a chance to think before she blurted out her question. "How was Nick when you helped him?" She felt her throat tighten.

Krankenhund's face fell a bit and his ears shifted back as he recounted that night. "He was...very distraught over that night. He kept saying that there must have been more he could have done to help you. You know you died in the back of the ambulance? He was there. He saw it all. From what little I know of that fox, I would say put your doubts out of your mind. He isn't the monster the news seems to think he is."

There was silence in the room for a few moments before the wolf spoke again, waking himself from the nightmare of that night. "Anyway, just let me know if there is anything I can bring you to make you more comfortable, after all you have been here for a week."

Judy continued to stare at the door after the doctor had left. A week? This media coverage has been going on for a week? Nick has been on the run for a WEEK?

She shook her head as she swung her legs out to the edge of the bed. Mr. Big leaned forward on the couch as he watched her, knowing full well what she was doing. "Judy, you should move slower, we don't want to see you hurt."

Judy couldn't help her response as her ears drooped and face crunched in a wince. "Then look away Mr. Big. I need to get moving so I can find my partner."

There was a quiet sigh from the shrew. "Alvaro"

Judy stopped moving and looked at the diminutive animal, her eyes opened wide in shock. "I...I'm sorry...what?"

Mr. Big opened his paws towards her as he spoke softly and with care. "To my family and good friends I am Alvaro. To my closest friends, you can call me Papa or Alvaro."

Judy simply stared at him in open amazement.

The shrew continued. "I will tell you the same thing I told Nicholas. If you need anything, money, animals, supplies, or information, you give Papa a call. I do not like seeing my family hurt, but I know there is no stopping you from finding Nicholas. If you rush, you may risk further injury and a longer stay. This we cannot allow. Call for the nurse. Walk slowly."

The rabbit smiled and paged the nurse on the remote near her bed. She looked back at the shrew with gratitude. "Thanks Papa Alvaro."

Judy sat in the center garden of the hospital, looking up high and watching the clouds as they blew in from the coast. The rains were coming soon and she could smell the drizzle on the breeze wetting pavement somewhere in the Canals District. Her polar bear escort stood some distance off but never let his eyes off her. Chief Bogo sat next to her on the same bench. He had been there for a while but they had yet to say a single word other than a polite nod to each other. The buffalo finally sighed deeply and spoke, his voice soft.

"How are you feeling Hopps?"

Judy never tore her gaze from the sky while she pondered her response a moment, before simply speaking one word. "Confused."

The Chief looked to the ground as he replied. "I know you are Hopps. There is much to explain and little time to do it. Much of it doesn't make sense to me either, but I keep holding out hope."

She finally looked up at the Chief. "Hope for what?"

Their eyes finally met as he replied. "Hope that Officer Wilde can find all he can and solve this case before we find him. Despite what the news has said on his behalf, he is a good cop and he will see this through. We just can't help him."

She set her jaw, managing to hold back from adding 'We'll see about that'. Just as quickly as her determination came, her eyes began to sting again, and she looked back to the pavement, voice wavering. "It's not fair Chief! He would never hurt me, he would never betray the ZPD! Why are they doing this? How did they even find out?"

Bogo looked back out towards the sky. "That is information for when you are fully recovered. I will need your help finding Wilde. I have not been in contact with him for a while. Not since...well anyway. Take care Hopps. Focus on getting better, the ZPD will be needing you."

The chief left her sitting on the bench with more questions than answers. The only real information she got out of that was that even Bogo didn't believe Nick was guilty. So why all the calls for his arrest? How did they hear about it? Granted an explosion is a difficult thing to keep quiet, but an officer's involvement or suspected involvement was something that shouldn't have gotten out until there was conclusive evidence. Not until that officer is indicted. How did they find out?

Judy slowly got off the bench and fell the short distance to the ground. She landed safely on her feet, but it sent a small spike of adrenaline through her body as pain stabbed at her hip. She could hear the polar bear padding up towards her to stay close. She straightened herself up and slowly started walking around the park, limping and gritting her teeth. She knew from the report that there was no real damage to any of the moving parts of her bones, but her hip had a plate in it now to keep the gap closed and prevent it from shifting and causing a crack to form. It throbbed, and she could swear she could feel the metal buried in her body. Round after round, the pain began to dull over. She was either getting used to it, or her body was getting over it, and either way she needed to get out of the hospital and find Nick. A week with no contact was far too long for her comfort.

She decided that for now, she would go back to her room, get some lunch, pain medication and think on this for a while. It was clear what needed to be done, it was just a matter of how. Her feet willed her on until she found herself back at her room. Intense throbbing in her hip made her wince slightly as she climbed back in bed. Raymond was on 'Judy duty' and tended the flowers diligently. Throughout the day a few officers stopped by to keep her spirits high.

A couple of hours later, Delgato showed up with a small slice of carrot cake from Pennington's. He expressed concern about it being a bit stereotypical but confessed he greatly enjoyed carrot cake and figured she would too. Wolford came by and said little, as he often did. He instead kept her company while he read a book. She still couldn't figure that wolf out. Fangmeyer brought some drawings she had been working on over the week. The tigress was an aspiring artist and her work did wonders for Judy's mood. They spent a few hours laughing and musing over work and swapped a few stories. Wolford was still there while they chatted, but left with Fangmeyer. Judy grabbed her phone and looked at the time. 20:32.

She plopped her head back on her pillow, a bit frustrated with herself. She was supposed to be coming up with a plan to find Nick but instead she spent the day joking with friends. True, she was recovering, but the slowness of her progress frustrated her. She needed answers from him and answers _for_ him; his side of the story, reasons for running. A knock on the door saw a nurse pop in her room.

The puma smiled at seeing Judy. "Well, you are looking quite on the mend! Your friends sure seem to know how to brighten your mood. Do you need anything before you sleep tonight?"

That got Judy's mind racing and a plan quickly developed. She smiled at the puma, "Could I have something to help me sleep tonight? My mind is still too busy for sleep," She looked over at Raymond who was slipping into the restroom. "Could you also bring a meal and drink for my friend too?"

The puma nodded and wandered off. Judy hoped that the dinner would get to the room before Raymond came out. Judging from the typing sounds of his phone, she guessed he would be in there for a while. What took a few minutes seemed like hours, but the puma returned in due time with the plate and drink for Raymond and a small cup with a pair of pills to help her sleep. The nurse bid Judy a good night and left the room. Quickly, Judy crushed up all of the sleep pills and dispersed the powder into polar bear's drink. Now it was just time to wait.

After scoffing down the food hungrily, twenty minutes was all it took for the polar bear to start snoring. Granted the pills were bunny sized, but she had also crushed up one of her muscle relaxers to help the cause. Judy slid out of bed and grabbed what meager belongings were in the room and put them in a paper bag that her medication had come in. Not too much to grab, pills, phone, charger, wallet, badge...her police uniform from the day of the explosion could stay. Wouldn't get anywhere in that uniform, as torn up as it was.

Judy opened the door and looked down the hall in either direction. This late, the hospital had a small staff except in the emergency side. They always seemed busy. She knew if she was spotted someone would make a fuss since she was still dressed as a patient so she started to stalk as quietly as she could down the hall towards the exit. She arrived at the front desk and found an issue. There was one nurse on duty, and when she risked a peek she found him scratching away at paperwork. A quick scan found Judy a paper clip and she snatched it up. She unfolded it a bit and hoped the lion on duty would hear the sound. She tossed it onto a small table behind the nurse and it bounced off and fell into a metal trash can. The lion nearly jumped out of his fur as he swiveled in his chair, looking around for the source of the noise. Judy crept towards the door, and as soon as the lion got out of his chair to check the can, she half bolted to the door, the other half being an awkward combination of wincing and sneaking. The cool night air soon met her fur and even though the chill stole her breath a bit, she kept moving with purpose. She was going home.

Luck would have it that it decided to rain on her way. She got home shivering and soaked to the bone. She knew warmth was next; it was an all consuming need. She quickly set some tea on the stove and walked to her bathroom as she stripped off her hospital gown and turned on the hot water for a shower. She felt like she melted. It was so pleasing to be back in her apartment, with the smell of her tea being made, the warmth of the shower; all the comforts of home. She even toyed with the idea of staying tonight but knew that was out of the question. This would be the first place people would come looking for her when they noticed her gone. No, she had to think of something. She shut off the water, toweled off and went into the kitchen in the towel and poured her tea, deep in thought.

Fighting her tiredness, not having been helped by the comforting warmth of the shower water, she traced what she knew back to the beginning, searching her memory for something that would put her on the trail of her partner and get her out and away from prying eyes. It struck her. The morning after they arrested the otter, she had gone through all of the papers in the SUV with Nick. Some of them were work related and said he worked at the docks in the Canals District. She grabbed her phone and pulled up a cab company and requested a pick up. Next, she went online to find a good hotel to stay at in the Canals District. After some searching she found a winner. It had a grand total of three stars, but that was _still_ better than the one star - or less than one - of the others. Plus, this one had a small diner nearby, just a block away and around the corner.

While waiting on the cab, she packed a bag with everything she could think she may need, including a jacket and one police uniform...never know when you will need it. She dressed in a button up shirt and a pair of jeans - old farming clothes when she still lived at her parents. She didn't even get to sit down before she heard the cab honk outside. Downing the last dregs of her tea, Judy took a moment to make sure she had everything before stepping out, locking her door and rushing to the cab waiting in the rain.

The panther cab driver looked back with a smirk, "Where to miss?"

She checked her phone. "Shady Palms hotel in Canals District."

He nodded, "I know the place. On our way."

Judy looked out the window and rested her head on the padded seat. Her eyelids slid closed without her knowing and she slipped into sleep.

"Miss? Hey, bunny?"

She clawed her way out of sleep. The fog clung tightly to her vision as she looked at the driver.

"We are here miss, your total comes to $38.20."

She nodded absently and swiped her card on the pin machine in the back seat and paid the driver. Grabbing her bag, she stepped out into the cool night air, her paws touching wet asphalt. The rains had already come and gone here, so at least she didn't need to rush over to the hotel lobby. The animal at the front desk was not really rude, but offered nothing and kept everything down to business. Judy was quietly thankful for that. It meant she could crawl into bed sooner. Her room was small but nothing bad, considering her size. She dropped her belongings and flopped on the bed. Her pants chaffed the stitches in her hip. When she took them off, she saw some minor bleeding, nothing too terrible, considering she hadn't worn them long. The stitches in her arm were healing up nicely but it would take some time for the fur to grow back around the two major wounds. Judy discarded her clothes on the foot of the bed and curled up under the blankets.

She let out a deep sigh as her eyes slid closed and the comforting dark soothed her worried mind. "Tomorrow, diner for breakfast, then the search begins."

 **Notes: The chapter is a bit shorter, I know, but there is plenty more on the way! Thanks again for taking the time to give it a read, follow or favorite! Also, send me a message with your thoughts or leave a review! I answer them all as soon as I can!**

 **The next chapter is great and has some hilarious parts and some absolutely...well...you will see. Thanks again folks!**

 **Travel Well,**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7 Reunited

**AN: Hello and thank you for being patient! Here we have the next chapter ready to go! Thanks go out to AngloFalcon again for his hard work on making this fiction better by being error free, and flowing better! Read on and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 7**

Reunited

Judy awoke feeling quite refreshed despite the soreness. She got up and folded her clothes in the provided dressers in order to make herself at home for her stay. She donned the sweatpants she had brought along, _'Classy'_ she thought to herself but at least they wouldn't chaff the way the jeans did. She settled on a long sleeve collared shirt to go with them. The temperature was not so cold but it would hide her wounds well enough and she didn't want to draw any unwanted attention. Her hip didn't throb anymore at least. Now it was just a dull, constant ache. Every now and then she would make a move that would aggravate the wound, but other than that, good as new...well, _refurbished_ at any rate.

The morning air was damp and puddles still littered the street as the clouds continued to roll overhead. Judy smiled at the cool breeze and started to take her time walking down the street towards the diner.

She reached into her pocket mumbling to herself. "What was the name of that place again?" A quick check on her phone pulled it up and she giggled at the name. 'The Fox N' Hound Eatery'

It didn't take long to get there, being only a block away. The joint had seen better days. Once blue paint was weathered and chipped, peeling off in places, and the sign had a letter out and buzzed loudly, but the inside was well kept and very clean. She saw a booth in the back and figured that would be a good place to sit while she worked out where to start searching. The door jingled as she walked in and was met with a cheery voice from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Is that you Calvin? I will be with you in a moment!"

Judy smiled at the pleasant voice as she made her way to the booth. "No, sorry, I'm not from this district, but this place looked nice so I thought I'd pop in. Can I sit anywhere?"

"Sure! Be right with you!"

Judy sat down silently wondering why no one was here. The waitress was so cheery that people had at least to come here for coffee. She sat scanning the menu looking for a nice meal noticing that they had quite a few vegetable options. She decided on a nice warm carrot soup with a sprig of spearmint. Of course, a cup of coffee would be mandatory for her planning phase. _Oh they have grilled cheese too!_

"Hey, my name is Doris, thanks for stopping by. Can I get you started with a drink?"

Judy responded without looking up from the menu "Hello Doris, could I start with a cup of coffee and..." she began to trail off when she looked up and saw who was taking her order. "I...think...I...order"

The fox was the purest of white, with a pink nose and bright red eyes. Those eyes should unnerve her, but there was such kindness in them it set her at ease. In fact, Judy just couldn't help herself making a comment. "I love your fur!"

Doris smiled wide. "You're the second mammal from another district who thinks so. Thank you for that, I'll grab your coffee." Doris started to walk away before stopping and looking over her shoulder back at the rabbit who still openly stared. "I love your fur too. It looks so soft! You must tell me your shampoo of choice!"

Judy continued to watch the fox as she went back to the counter to pour her coffee. She was simply stunned by her. The vixen was completely devoid of all color; one of the rarest mammals in Zootopia. There was something enchanting about her. What was she doing here in the Canals District?

"So have you decided what you want to eat, dear?"

Judy finally noticed that Doris had brought the coffee and was standing there with her booklet out waiting. She blushed and her ears dropped in embarrassment "Oh yes...um, I would like the Carrot Soup...and the grilled cheese with it!"

Doris scribbled in her book "Okay, coming right up. Want me to take that menu?"

The doe shook her head. "No, I'm going to pick my meal for later...I'm going to be in this district for a week, so I figured I'd plan ahead."

Doris nodded and Judy went back to the menu looking through all of the items. So many good choices that she barely noticed the door jingle as a new customer came in. Too engrossed to look up but she listened with one ear.

"Mornin, fellas! The usual?"

"You know us too well, Doris! Anyway, you were saying?"

The first voice was deep and resonant like it should belong to a large animal, but that is not what made her ears shoot up. The second voice. It was familiar, like seeing a long lost relative...or missing partner. Judy almost didn't want to look up, fearing disappointment, but it sounded so much like him.

"So anyway, I told her that I'd let her erase it...after forty...eight...hours." The familiar voice stretched out the words for emphasis.

Judy knew it was him. Only _he_ knew that story. "Did you tell him where you got that idea? Or the pen for that matter?"

She still didn't look up from the menu, but she heard him speak.

"Carrots?" The uncertainty in his voice made her wince slightly. "Judy...is that you?" The voice was closer now. He was approaching her table, despite her still being behind the menu. She held her breath as she lowered the large menu to look into the eyes of her partner. The deep emerald green of his eyes was different...determined, and his ear was missing a chunk with pink skin showing around the ragged edge, but it was him, it was her fox.

She smiled sheepishly and spoke quietly. "Hey Nick..."

Before she could say another word he closed the distance and took her in his arms, pulling her gently in close to his chest. She could hear the rhythmic beat of his heart and feel his breath on her head as her ears fell back in relief. He started shaking, and she noticed that he was sobbing quietly.

Between heavy breaths, he spoke with a strained voice. "I almost lost you. All week...every time I closed my eyes...I...I was back in the ambulance, watching you die."

Judy wrapped her arms around him enjoying the embrace as she spoke. "I'm still here Nick, I'm not going anywhere. I missed you." Tears rolled off her face as she inhaled deeply, taking everything in that she could. The texture of his fur and its smell, the heartbeat and the sounds of his breathing.

Nick took a deep breath and pulled away all too soon for Judy's liking, but it was his smile which she focused on. That undeniable smirk, despite his eyes glistening, was typical of the fox she knew so well by now. His voice was barely controlled but still 'signature Nick'. "Alright, I simply MUST introduce you to someone. He kept track of me since you weren't around. Somebody has to keep me in line, ya know?"

A deep voice spoke from behind Nick.

"Let me tell you, he is a clawful!"

Nick moved so she could clearly see the larger animal who spoke those words. Judy was momentarily shocked by the sight of the massive lizard but recovered quickly. "Oh, I know that better than most!"

Nick shook his head "Oh har har. Judy Hopps, meet Calvin Deepstalk."

Judy felt a little uncomfortable given that she had never met such a massive reptile. Zootopia had predators and prey but it was and had always been a city of mammals. She swallowed her discomfort and smiled wide and extended her paw up to him anyways. "Officer Judy Hopps! Pleasure to meet you Calvin!"

The massive dragon looked back at Nick, "It seems all you Precinct 1 Officers are pretty friendly. Always filled with surprises, Nick." He looked back at Judy knelt down and gladly took her paw in his claw and gently shook it. She was amazed at the neutrality of his claws. The pads were not hot, or cold to the touch but more like room temperature. There was no fur, or moisture. It wasn't unpleasant, just rather different.

Calvin took a step back and eyed the fox "So this is Judy? Well," he turned back to look at the rabbit, "it's nice to finally meet the one he talks about in his sleep...and when he is awake."

"Alright, enough of that, big guy," Nick interjected, sounding slightly embarrassed. "Go order our food and give me a few with my partner. I need to bring her up to speed real quick."

Calvin laughed as he lumbered away, tail dragging as he walked and sat down at the counter. Judy found it odd that he simply let his tail drag, but then again, it was a very long tail. Nick sat down across from her and stared at her for a minute. Judy finally smiled back. "What is it? Something in my fur?"

Nick smiled and spoke warmly. "Your smile."

Judy instantly felt her ears go hot with embarrassment and slight amusement. She privately enjoyed the feeling but couldn't let him know that. "Nick, what's going on? We need to get this figured out. They're calling for your arrest you know?"

His eyes instantly went wide. "Of course! I need my case notes! Judy, does anyone know you came here?"

She shook her head, "No, I left the hospital without anyone noticing. They might just be discovering that I'm gone but my phone is off."

Nick jumped up "Great! I'll be right back! Calvin, keys!" The dragon casually tossed Nick the keys to what Judy could only assume was Calvin's house keys as Nick started for the door. Before going through it, one foot out the door already, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What do you mean 'without anyone noticing'?" When he saw she didn't immediately answer he pressed on "Judy, if you're still injured..."

She waved her paw dismissively. "I'll let you know if I start having problems Nick. Just go for now and we can talk when you get back."

He stood there for a moment before leaving and rushing down the street. She continued to stare until a new voice caught her attention.

"That fox is really special. He's got a good heart."

Judy looked up to find another red reynard standing and staring at the same door as she had been, holding her soup and grilled cheese. He was thin, very thin especially for a fox, but his fur was the deepest red she had ever seen. He wore a distant look upon his face for a few moments until Judy spoke. "Yes, he really is. He's the best partner I could ever ask for."

The fox smiled as he put Judy's food in front of her. "The best blessing I could ever ask for. He saved my life. The world needs more like him."

Judy stared up at the newcomer. "Tell me."

"Mind if I sit? My strength hasn't fully returned yet."

Judy motioned her paw as she spoke "Of course, please do!"

The fox slowly settled himself down and let out a sigh. "Well, Night Howler. The case you had solved once never really got solved out here. There have been cases of animalnappings but the police out here don't really help at all. Well, I was infected with Night Howler and my wife, Doris, couldn't pay for the antidote. I was a savage lunatic and Nick...Officer Nick Wilde, paid my wife in a tip that covered the cost of the antidote."

The fox shook his head as a tear rolled off his snout. "I'd still be drooling over myself in that clinic if it weren't for him. Never knowing what it felt like to embrace my wife and feel the warmth of her fur again...only the savage thoughts of what she would taste like and...wh...what it would feel like having hot blood in my stomach.."

He began to sob quietly at this point. "I remember everything...like...dreaming...I was a passenger in my own body, watching h-helplessly as my body did as it pleased...Thoughts that weren't really mine but at the same time were...I lashed out at her every time she came to visit me..."

Judy's throat instantly dried up while it all diverted to her eyes. She stared at the reynard through blurry vision wishing for words to come and bring him comfort. However only a sniffle made it out as her heart worked itself in knots.

The fox sat back and breathed deeply slowing his sobs until he could speak again. "That officer, he gave me everything I had lost. Well," he chuckled as he held up his emaciated arm, "almost everything. It's going to take some doing, but eventually I'll catch back up to my wife. But because of him, I have that chance."

Calvin had brought over a chair and was patting the red fox on his back. "It's alright Robin, you'll make it." He looked at Judy "You have a special fox in your life. I consider myself lucky, as I'm sure you do too. Just do me one favor?"

Judy nodded, not trusting herself to speak at the moment, emotions strangling her words as if they were hands around her neck. Calvin nodded back and lazily blinked his eyes, pupils dilated and retracted quickly in the light.

"I have been with him on his investigations and it isn't looking like it's going to be easy. Keep him safe."

Judy nodded as both fox and dragon left her to eat in peace. The carrot soup warmed her body much as it did her heart. Her thoughts lingered on the story of a Night Howler victim trapped within their own mind. That somehow escaped the news. Her faith in such sources was dwindling fast and would likely plummet when she would get to look over Nick's notes. The grilled cheese was eaten and the soup half gone when Nick finally showed back up with a book bag slung over his shoulder. He sat down across from her, opened the bag and laid out a few papers. Doris brought him a cup of coffee and he nodded his thanks to her as he sipped it and exhaled.

"Okay Carrots, here is what I've found so far."

Judy wiped her paws on a napkin before taking his notes in paw. She was instantly surprised by the detail and clarity he had written with. His passion for this case was clear. As she read, her heart sank. This fox had found some horrible things. Animalnappings involving unborn reptiles being taken to a secret facility that Nick had already found. Experimentation on young reptiles to work Night Howler into their young systems. Apparently it didn't have the same affect on them as it did mammals. It made them more aggressive certainly, but it also made them stronger, numb to pain, and easier to manipulate. They were still coherent and followed orders well. They didn't go savage like mammals would, they instead became far more dangerous as they could still make out friends and foes, fight intelligently without care or remorse. Meanwhile, many of police of Precinct 9 used Night Howler to dart mammals and extort the families for the money to pay for it all. Nick had purchased an old video recorder for the evidence and had hours of video of all of this. This district was in shambles when it should have been a more profitable district since it had the international docks, but the local police controlled that as well.

Judy looked up at Nick, sick to her stomach. "Why?"

Nick didn't have his smirk. He was far too serious for her liking but he leaned in slightly as he spoke. "They're raising an army, Judy. For what, I can't say, but it's bad. We've got to stop it. The only thing not yet done is the planning phase. For that I need help. Three animals just can't do it alone. Cal has some interesting friends, and I know Bogo will help with this, but as he can't trust anyone in the ZPD, I think a swat team is out of question. One thing I will say I've noticed so far is that all the animals I have seen, documented, and tracked are all predators."

Judy sat for a moment, completely shocked by all of this. Her head spun with possibilities but only one could come to her mind. "Revenge for the first incident?"

Nick only shrugged his response. "Who knows? I have Finnick following...the..." He bolted up with wide eyes "Judy! Do you have your phone charger? My phone is toast and I need to call Finnick!"

"Yeah, it's in my hotel room." She started to get out of the booth as she laid a 50 on the table. "Money is on the table Doris. Thanks for everything and see you later!"

Nick quickly gathered his papers up and placed them back in his bag. He rushed over to Calvin and put his paw on the massive lizard's shoulder. "Sorry to bail on ya bud, I gotta get this done. I will get back with you as soon as I can."

Calvin only shrugged. "You know where I live, see ya when I see ya."

Nick looked to the jingling door as Judy stepped out and promptly followed her. They started to walk down the street in silence for half the trip until Nick took notice of Judy limping slightly. "How are you feeling?"

The doe laughed "Only a bit sore. I should remember not to order super-express mail next time. Gets to me too fast."

Nick didn't say anything. Judy looked up to find Nick staring straight ahead, looking sad as his ears limply wavered in the breeze with no intent on his part to keep them in any one place. Judy reached up and gripped his paw in hers. "Hey, Nick...it was a joke. I'm here. It's okay."

His grip tightened on her paw slightly while he still looked ahead. When he spoke, it was strained. "What happened that day was no joke. It was my fault."

"How Nick? Tell me how you see it as your fault."

He looked down at her. "I was going to call you the second I found out someone in the ZPD may be trying to blame us. I decided to wait until we met for lunch. I was the target. They knew I had the evidence but the bomber tried to get us both. We were there because of me, and we were a target because of me."

Judy wouldn't accept that. "You said the note mentioned us both. It would have happened eventually. I owe you my life Nick. You saved me. Everything happens for a reason, all we can do is try to make sense of it and see where it leads us. Never forget that I'm here because of you." She shrugged, "Besides, doctor Krakenhund told me about YOUR injuries. You didn't exactly get off free either! Plus, you're missing part of your ear."

Nick stopped walking and knelt down, letting go of her paw. His eyes met hers with tenderness. "How are you feeling...really."

She shifted uncomfortably for a moment before responding. "Sore...but thankful."

Nick nodded and smirked. "Can you do me a favor Carrots?" Judy nodded. His smile broadened. "Close your eyes, then."

She did. She heard Nick stand up and for a moment there was nothing until she heard his breath in her ear, then felt one arm move under her legs, and the other arm cradle her back as he gingerly and so carefully picked her up off the ground. Her heart skipped as she smiled uncontrollably and rested her head against his chest. At that moment she did not really want to open her eyes and find it all to be a wonderful dream. Nick was walking now while she rested in his arms. Twice in one day she found herself listening to his breathing and heartbeat. What a sight they must be. She finally opened her eyes to find Nick staring into hers. That damned smirk was never more sincere.

"How do you feel now, Carrots?"

She smiled broadly at him and put a paw on his cheek. "Blessed"

Back at the hotel, Nick had immediately plugged in his phone but found he had to wait a bit until his drained battery had enough charge to sustain a phone call. Judy sat on the bed relaxing and channel surfing for a while before Nick sat at the foot of the bed staring absently at the TV. Judy dug through her bag and pulled out a pair of scissors and rolled up her left sleeve. Her wound had healed almost completely and today was supposed to be the day the stitches came out...but she wasn't exactly in the hospital for them to do it. After the first clip, Nick swung his head and saw what she was doing.

"Judy, you still have your stitches in? You left the hospital too soon! You're not well enough for this, are you?" His voice sounded hurt.

"Nick, relax I walked home from the hospital, cleaned up and took a cab here. It's really not so bad anymore. I'm feeling much better. I told you that I'd let you know if I had any problems!"

Nick sighed and shook his head. "Well then at least let me help you with that. Don't want you stabbing yourself with those doing it one-pawed and everything."

She handed him the scissors and sat with her arm out on the bed as she lay on her stomach and he lay on his, facing each other as the TV droned in the background. She had left it on the weather channel. Kinda silly channel to have in the districts since they were mostly controlled. Nick was so engrossed in the careful removal of the stitches that he didn't take immediate notice of Judy's gaze.

He could feel her stare though. "This is looking much better than the last time I saw it. Your fur is growing back in nicely too. You may need some ointment on this though."

He could hear her smile in her words. "No worries, I have some...you think my fur is nice too huh?"

Nick chuckled as he clipped another stitch. "Only a fool wouldn't admire your fur, Carrots. These stitches are small. They must have been done by mice!"

She giggled. "They were!"

He looked up at her. "I'm not hurting you taking them out am I?"

"It actually tickles a bit."

He smirked and went back to his work. "Only a few more."

"Oh no. Slick Nick, I got way more to go after that." Nick's head shot up and saw her sly grin. "Or did you not expect to help me with my hip?"

Nick's ears looked like beacons as they filled with embarrassed blood and his wide eyes showed just as much emotion as his sudden musky scent. She laughed hard seeing his face. "Don't worry Nick, no one I trust more. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to do them being on my left side...I'm right-pawed remember?"

Nick gulped and finished the last stitch. Judy then sat up and started to remove her sweat pants as Nick gave her his back. She was his partner and he would give her the due respect, no matter his feelings for her. Besides, his mother raised him to be a gentle reynard far before his childhood was crushed. He could hear her moving around behind him as she got up and went to the bathroom for a moment and laid back down on the bed.

"Oh aren't you the sweetest fox ever?"

Nick turned to find her covered up by a large towel except for her leg which showed the large jagged mess across her leg and hip. Still recovering from the earlier surprise and her casually undressing in his presence, he struggled to find his charm.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone. You ready?"

She nodded as he sat next to her cross legged. He guided her onto her side so her tail, if he could see it, would be facing him and he made sure the towel was positioned correctly before resting his arms on her side and leg so his paws could easily get to the stitches. He cleared his throat and began to cut. Despite the look of concentration, Judy could smell the musk filling the room and see his left ear twitching slightly as he worked. Did it do that when he was nervous before it had the huge chunk missing?

"Judy?" He asked without taking his eyes off his work.

"Hmm?"

"What did you do to this thing? Looks like you were bleeding recently."

She sighed. "Wasn't quite thinking clearly last night. I wore jeans and well...they are not as comfortable as sweats."

Nick shrugged, "Well nothing tore, so that's good, but you did break the scab. You'll likely need to shower up to make sure it's clean and put that ointment on it."

She nodded. "While I shower, you call Finnick. He should have something after a week of whatever you had him doing."

Nick spent most of the day on his phone. Making calls to contacts he had made his whole life, gathering allies, munitions and plans. That fox never stopped and yet while on the phone he still managed to grab her anything she needed, be it water, snacks, meds or ointment, even before she could ask for it. When he had finally finished all of his calls, it was almost 7pm. He stepped back into the room looking exhausted and flopped on the bed, face first into a pillow next to her. After a moment, she ruffled the fur between his ears and down his neck. She started to rub his neck and found it felt as though there were tubes of hardened cement under wet leather. The fox had been carrying the stress of a week in his neck. So she sat cross legged and leaned towards him, starting to massage the masonry out.

After about ten minutes he sat up and looked her in the eyes. "We should get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow and all." He got up and fetched a spare set of blankets from the closet and started to lay them out on the floor. "I kinda left home with what I'm wearing. Didn't expect to find myself stranded out here. So...I'll take the floor...mind if I hustle you out of a pillow?"

She smiled and held one out to him. "Consider me suckered."

He returned with a warm sincere smile, "Goodnight, Carrots."

Lights went out, and for a few moments there was the sounds of him getting comfortable, stripping his clothes, then silence. She could hear him breath and listened to it change to slow breaths of deep sleep. It took a while for him to finally sleep, about an hour and she knew he was able to wink out when he needed. Something still had him troubled. She leaned over the edge of the bed to look at her partner. He was sleeping on his side facing the door.

Always ready for anything, she mused to herself. The doe slowly climbed out of bed, donned her sweat pants and shirt, took a pillow and blanket with her, and covered him up with it. She settled beneath the blankets with Nick. It was far warmer next to him than alone in her own bed. She just couldn't justify him sleeping on the floor alone. Judy draped her arm over him, found his paw, and slipped to sleep, warm and comfortable with the one animal she could trust above all others.

 **AN: YAY! They have found each other! There is a bit of fluff in there for ya too! Not too much since I don't find myself that much of a romantic though I try :)**

 **Anyway, thanks again for giving it a read! Hopefully you enjoyed it! As always, feel free to comment or PM me as I am always open to discussion! Thanks to AngloFalcon and his efforts again as well as the encouragement from Cimar/WildeHopps. If you don't know these authors, get acquainted with their fantastic stories and enjoy the bliss of great reading!**

 **Also, AngloFalcon managed to get two chapters edited for me, so the next one will go up and out soon. I'm thinking Tuesday or Wednesday...**

 **Be on the look out for Chapter 8, New Allies.**

 **Travel Well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Alright Folks here we go with another chapter! Beware of fluff and plot twists! Enjoy!**

 **Another shout out to AF for his outstanding work as an editor and great ally in this endeavor!**

 **Chapter 8**

New allies

Nick opened his eyes as a ray of sunlight dimly lit the room. It was quiet, warm, and comfortable despite being on the floor. He shouldn't have felt so rested and content lying on the floor, but it did. He blinked sleepily and sighed deep. Upon stretching, he felt a tug at his side. Confused, the fox lifted the covers to look at his side and found a gray paw resting on his belly, arm over his side. Nick wasn't quite sure what to make of it until he moved the arm carefully and rolled over to find that in the night Judy had crawled under the covers with him and continued to sleep soundly on the floor despite the movement. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about it. He felt very close to her, indeed couldn't imagine his life without her. His heart fluttered as he leant in and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled in her sleep, shifted slightly and let out a content purr.

Nick smiled at that and spoke softly, "Carrots?" She started to stir more. "Yoohoo, Carrots?" he continued in a teasing tone.

Finally her violet eyes cracked open and a smile came to her face, tempered with a bit of embarrassment "Hey..."

"You know, I left you the bed for three reasons right?"

She stretched and propped her head up on her elbow. "Oh really, Slick? And those reasons are?"

Nick rolled over so that both his elbows rested on the floor propping himself up and resting his paw pads on each other. "Well first off, you have freshly removed stitches from grievous wounds and the bed would have been a better place for those injuries to heal. Reason number two," he held up two pads to illustrate the point, "you paid for the room, so you should have the bed. Reason number threesie, I had no other clothes since I couldn't go home."

Judy had a smirk on her face as she spoke. "I don't see how any of that matters."

Nick gave her a sarcastic smile, just like the one he gave her at the naturalist club months ago "Where are my clothes, Carrots?"

Judy looked over at the pile nearby. Hoodie, button up shirt...and his cargo pants. Nick watched as the realization crossed her mind and her expression became a mix of shock and embarrassment, never losing his grin as he spoke. "Yeah, exactly. Now if you will excuse me, I need a shower" He got up, knowing full well that the bunny's gaze would follow him intently being stripped to the fur. "Big day ahead of us." He gathered a towel from the sink area and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough her gaze hadn't shifted from him and she still had that surprised look on her face.

He couldn't resist his signature smirk. "What? Like what you see?"

Her mouth fell open as she stammered "Why..I-I think eh ha ha I yeah, um.." She ended with a nervous laugh and a shy smirk.

Nick could only smile genuinely at her with a slight chuckle. "Relax Carrots, just joking. I'm your deepest friend first, and partner second. I don't care if you see me like this. It's just fur after all."

Nick retired to the shower leaving Judy still sitting on the floor among the covers, staring at the bathroom door. The conversation still playing out in her head. It never occurred to her last night that he might be naked. It hadn't mattered. He was alone and she didn't want him to be alone anymore. He had lived his life alone, and perhaps some part of her felt that he would revert to his old ways of thinking being that way. She truly loved who he had become after joining the ZPD. Deep down, she believed that he had been born that way but a hard life tempered his personality with cynicism. A survival mechanism, if you will. She got up and started to change out of her night clothes for something she could go out in public with, still wondering at her own emotions. A knock on the door brought her out of her deep thoughts.

"Who is it?"

The voice that came through was muffled but familiar. "Its Calvin, we met at the diner? Nick called yesterday and said to meet up here. I have a friend with me as well."

Judy was unsure of a 'friend' but Nick trusted that dragon so she would trust Nick. She walked over and opened the door to find two large reptiles. The newcomer was a dark shade of green and stood just a bit shorter than Nick. It was covered in deep green scaly skin and a pattern of white spots down its body. She was still unnerved by the reptiles, but she wouldn't let that get in the way of the possibility of a new friendship and needed allies.

The rabbit smiled widely and waved them in. "Good to see you again Calvin, please come in!"

After entering, closing the door, and depositing a plastic bag on the counter, Calvin turned to the new comer. "This is Sierra Clawhan. She's the leader of a group we call the Monitors. They have acted as our own limited police force taking charge of the cases that Precinct 9 ignores. Including the Clutch Care cases."

Judy smiled genuinely at the green tree monitor as she extended her paw to the reptile. "Officer Judy Hopps, Precinct 1. Pleasure to meet you."

Sierra took a moment to look up at Calvin with one eye before grinning and taking paw in claw. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. Calvin mentioned you two were not like other mammals and I'm pleased to find him right despite my skepticism."

Judy found her voice to be deeply resonant yet feminine, and accented as if this was a second language for the monitor. It was actually quite pleasing to her ears, and it made her smile warmly before her face fell and ears drooped. "I'm sorry the ZPD are failing the citizens of this district. With your help, I think we can fix all of this. I remember as a child the stories of this district. We will bring them back Sierra, you have my word!"

Calvin smiled, and held up another bag, "We brought some breakfast from Doris and Rob. Got you a vegetable salad and Nick his favorite bug burger. Hope you're hungry, because we have quite a bit to discuss."

Judy smiled and pulled out the chairs around the small table in the room. "Aw, you didn't have to bring us breakfast Cal! Nick, we have guests!"

"Out in a sec Carrots."

The three of them sat down at the table as Judy was handed her meal. Very fresh veggies and crisp salad. She was looking forward to it after all of the hospital food she had eaten over the past week. As she started to eat, Sierra started talking.

"As you may know, there have been animalnappings of unborn, hatchlings, and even juvenile reptiles in this district in conjunction with the darting of mammals with the Night Howler drug to fund their efforts. We as the Monitors along with our spy network of geckos have done our best to contain the situation but it's not getting any easier. We need help and allies. Nick mentioned we might have a few we never knew of."

Judy swallowed before speaking. "He spent most of yesterday on the phone setting it all up. When he gets out, I'm sure he will explain."

From the bathroom she heard him call, "Hey Carrots, can you bring me my clothes? I don't think our guests will appreciate me sitting there in a towel."

"Sure thing!" She got up, gathered his clothes, opened the door and placed them on the toilet lid. She grinned mischievously as she saw her chance to get him back for when they woke up. The doe pulled back the curtain to find Nick drying his head but at the sound of the curtain he looked up, shocked expression resting on his face. _Gotcha_.

"You're pretty cute in your birthday suit, by the way." She never broke eye contact with him. She wanted to see the mixture of emotions play across his face. She laughed, "What's wrong, Slick? It's just fur after all!"

His face told her everything she needed. She got him good that time with his ears up, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. The doe giggled as she left him to get dressed and returned to the table to find herself being smiled at by both reptiles. She gave them a shrug with a grin and continued eating. They didn't have to wait long until Nick joined them and tore into his burger.

Judy had finished her meal by then and made easy conversation. "Sierra, do I detect an accent? Where are you from?"

Sierra looked at the bunny and smiled, "Most don't bother asking. I am from the Marshlands near the nation of Liz'Marck. We speak Slith'mar there as it is far easier for one with a forked tongue to speak. My accent is hard to detect because when I moved here, I studied at Zootopia University for 6 years. Majored in language and speak four languages now." She sighed, "Unfortunately, because of what I am, I had to take all night classes and even then it took time. It was only supposed to be a four year deal but...there were incidents that left me injured and unable to attend some of my classes."

Judy really didn't need to ask about the incidents. She knew that animals could be cruel and vicious and the monitor had likely been hospitalized after being attacked. Probably never even bothered to report it either. After reading through the records of cases which almost never became ones, she knew all too well about how students could keep things silent. "Well I for one, am glad you are here. I hate the backwards thinking of some animals."

Sierra smiled wide and winked at her. "Judging from your interactions with your fox there, I would say that you truly mean that."

Judy went red with embarrassment and Nick nearly choked on his burger, prompting Calvin to pat his back until his coughing subsided, all while the two reptiles laughed hysterically at the reactions. Sierra slowed her giggle enough to speak, though she spoke with a thicker accent, "Oh relax silly mammals, it bothers us not."

Nick finally collected himself enough to speak, "Yes, well, let's get down to business. Firstly I called Finnick, got an earful from that little kit for not speaking with him for a week. What I had him doing was following the dead-drops. In that week he found out the names of all the animals moving the messages, where they were going and where they were starting. They came from the prison and former mayor Bellwether."

He bit into his burger with some energy, channeling his frustration. "Apparently she didn't like Carrots and I taking her down during the missing mammals case. She doesn't care about the cause or why they are using Night Howler so long as _we_ take the fall, and she is paying good money to see it through, likely obtained during her time as mayor. I had him make contact with Bogo to share that information."

Nick took a moment to collect a few of his notes before he continued.

"Second, I called Chief Bogo myself and let him know what I had found thus far here in this district and what I had scouted and recorded. He actually didn't shout or anything but stopped me short of telling him where exactly I was."

The reynard looked at Judy. "He asked if you were with me, and told me to keep an eye on you. He has orders for you. 'Don't hurt yourself trying so hard.' He expects a full report when this is done...also an explanation for leaving the hospital."

Nick cleared his throat and sighed, "Lastly, I called Mr. Big and had a very long conversation with him. He was _very_ distressed when he learned that you had escaped but was glad you were with me. I shared everything with him and he has a few vehicles on their way loaded with some of his best to help us here. He has basically given us permission to use them how we need. Fella has his spy network running round the clock on the mammals collecting dead-drops, and when the time comes he will collect them and deliver them with all the evidence needed to the ZPD."

He leaned back in his chair with a smug look on his face, "In summary, we have Chief Bogo putting together a team of prey mammals to help us on the final push, Mr. Big running information and personnel, and that leaves us here in this room. All we need is our targets, but I believe our green friend has that information."

Sierra nodded with a smile, "Allies we didn't know we had indeed. Most impressive Officer Wilde. I have heard enough to say that you will also have the Monitors and their full support. We have the targets and you have the people. The targets are four."

She leaned forward. "We need to secure the docks. We have seen armed personnel there and a large police presence from Precinct 9. They control the flow of money into the district and that needs to stop. Secondly, we have the research facility deep under the district. They have it well hidden but our gecko spies are quite good at infiltration and have located it and given us a detailed map. Next is Precinct 9 itself. I am unaware of any GOOD cops in that place but non-lethal munitions are preferred. Lastly, we have the warehouse. According to Nicholas, this is where the corrupt cops of Precinct 1 have been coordinating all their efforts. Unfortunately we still don't know all of the cops involved but we know of one Domingo Delgato. Now we decide if it needs to be a simultaneous strike or prioritize our targets."

Judy couldn't believe her ears. Delgato? He had been so supportive of her and Nick. All the corruption made her head spin and she felt herself sick but kept it together to hear the rest of the plan. Nick looked so serious, deep intent written in his eyes. All the jokes just minutes before seemed to be forgotten. He truly cared about this case and it clearly troubled him deeply. Judy wished it would just all be over already.

Nick nodded and thought for a minute before speaking. "We don't have the animal power to hit them all at once. This district is our first priority. It's been neglected long enough, first target is the docks. Free them, and the district will begin to prosper again. This will likely send the cops of Precinct 9 running for cover in one of two places. The research facility or the warehouse. I propose that the second target be that research facility. Find the stolen reptiles and reunite them with their families. After that, the precinct will be next; it should be nearly empty at that point."

Nick had his paw in his pocket, prying open his wallet again. His pads rubbed over 'Integrity' first. The scratch; the integrity of the police he had been working alongside had destroyed that valued trait. Next his pad brushed the chip in the star under the word 'Trust'. They were untrustworthy, enemies of Judy, himself, and Zootopia as a whole, traitors to the uniform. Lastly his pad graced the word 'Bravery'. Unblemished and undamaged, it had carried him this far and found him valuable allies and worthy friends. They showed the traits of good cops and when this was all done, this place would need good cops again. If he survived it all, he would be the first to recommend them. With a side glance, he saw Judy watching his paw in his pocket, no doubt wondering what he was doing. He took his wallet out and handed it to her absently while he continued to speak.

"Then with everything here done, all that is left is the warehouse. No doubt it will be the most difficult but there we can combine all of our efforts and hopefully overwhelm them. What say you, Miss Clawhan?"

Judy didn't hear her response to Nick's question. She had opened his wallet and was gazing at his badge pinned inside. What a state it was in. It had been washed but in the cracks and crevices blood still lingered, likely belonging to both of them. It was marred by scratches and chips but the words 'Integrity', 'Trust', and 'Bravery' had been polished by what looked like repeated rubbing of a paw pad. Nick had been feeling those words to remind him of who he was during this time. She felt foolish and ashamed for doubting him, his integrity, his trust, his...bravery. She felt her eyes sting with a mixture of guilt and shame but something else...pride. She was so proud of that fox. He was a damn good cop, better than most if not all of them.

Judy looked up at him as he conducted his final business with the reptiles. They were getting up to leave and she exchanged some pleasantries with them as they did so. She was dimly aware that they gave her some concerned looks as they left. Once silence fell across the room, Nick sat down on the bed looking at her, she stared into his deep green eyes.

He smirked slightly. "What's wrong Carrots?"

Millions of answers came to her mind. What they were planning was suicide, the city was falling apart, what they were doing was futile, but the one that came out of her mouth was, "I'm such a fool!"

Nick looked taken aback by that. Seeing his confusion she pressed on, not caring that her tears streaked her face, "I doubted you while I was in the hospital. I guess a part of me almost believed some of the nonsense that came out of the news. I...I feared that you were going back to your old ways, or running from everything! I'm such a fool to have ever doubted you!"

Nick saw that she had been rubbing the badge in his wallet the entire time she spoke. He wasn't entirely pleased by her sudden explanation, but given his past, he could understand it. Not to mention the news and leaked information, no doubt by Delgato himself, to keep Nick on the run and off his tail. He simply spread his arms wide, inviting her to him. She jumped off the chair and into his arms, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed. He pulled her in tight and felt his heart skip a beat as he enjoyed the moment. He struggled to think of what to say to her. He didn't want to lose her, nor did he want to fight a losing battle against the odds they were facing. His desire to put an end to all Night Howler once and for all was a powerful feeling, but the recent development of their relationship had him doubting if he wanted her involved in it.

He rested his head on hers and breathed her scent as his thoughts deepened. No matter the outcome, they would do it together. Without her, there was no one quicker to have his back. He'd seen her shoot and she was usually range high score. She was one of the best, if not _the_ best. Not just in skill and academics, but as a partner and a friend. This rabbit was truly the whole package. He now understood how lucky he was that she hustled him all those months ago.

"Judy, I can't bare the thought of losing you, so don't think on those doubts. You're here with me now, and that's more than enough for me. No matter what happens, I have your back...do you have mine?" He moved back slightly, holding her and looking into her eyes.

She sniffed deeply and looked up at him, her violet eyes meeting his. For a moment he felt he would lose himself in the windows of her soul. "Yes Nick, I'll have your back no matter what. We'll see this through." The tears made her eyes glisten with purity.

Nick smiled as his eyes stung and voice choked. "You bunnies, so emotional."

She laughed, "Look who's talking, Slick!"

Something clicked in him and he couldn't help himself. He gently placed his paws on either side of her face and lightly planted a kiss on her forehead. Her paws came up and gripped his as they sat enjoying the moment together. When they finally broke the embrace, Nick was looking down into Judy's eyes with a smile.

"Hey, we still have some work to do, one more task before we set everything in motion."

She twitched her nose. "What's that?"

Nick looked up from her eyes, staring distantly at the wall. "We need weapons."

Judy put her paw to her mouth as she heard those words. She knew it was coming to this but to have it finally spoken hurt her heart. She had trained on the range but on paper cutouts and dummies. She had never taken another animal's life and wasn't exactly relishing the idea of it. Judging from Nick's face, he wasn't either. They were both startled by Nick's phone buzzing on the table. Judy got down and tossed it to him after glancing at the screen. "It's Finnick."

Nick put on his smile and answered the phone, "What's up big guy?" Judy could hear Finnick saying something and Nick nodded. "That's great news, who are they?" More chatting and Nick's ears fell. His eyes went wide before he suddenly shut them tight. His chest began to move with more rapid breaths and she saw a tear roll off his snout. "Thanks, Finnick."

The fox hung up his phone and dropped it to the floor as he buried his face in his paws, sobbing quietly. Judy climbed on the bed and wrapped her arms around him. She spoke softly. "What is it, Nick? What did Finnick say? What's wrong?"

Nick pulled his head up and looked at her, voice raspy. "We know there are three cops from our Precinct involved. Finnick has all the evidence for it condemning them."

"Who Nick? Who are they?"

He sighed deeply with ragged breaths, "Delgato obviously is one. The second is Albalupus. He wasn't new to the police force but rather a transfer from Precinct 9. He likely got the others to follow his insane plan."

Judy leaned in and put her paw on the side of his face. "Who is the last Nick?"

A shudder traveled across his body as he breathed deeply and spoke one word. Judy's face fell and ears dropped. Nick knew that she had no idea what that cop meant to him. She wasn't awake for the most meaningful part of their relationship. Nick breathed heavily as Judy hugged him close, sharing in his betrayal.

Nick looked to the ceiling as his tears flowed freely. "Why, Wolford...Why?"

 **AN: OUCH! PLOT TWIST! The next chapter has our duo working on gathering the last minute resources, because this is not going to be a stroll in the park. Be ready for Chapter 9, Prepare for War.**

 **Travel Well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9 Prepare for War

**AN: Alright folks, this is another short one, I know I'm sorry! However, it is setting the stage for the final push of the story. This is the final build up before the floods break in chapter 10. A lot happens here in this chapter and its the last bit of fluff for a while. Chapter 10 will have a serious pace change so...brace yourselves!**

 **Edits by AngloFalcon**

 **Chapter 9**

Prepare for War

It had been a long, exhausting day, complete with a roller-coaster of emotions. The day had started so nicely yet at the end of it all, they were just beat down and defeated. Nick's eyes were hollow and Judy's hip throbbed angrily. It took all day to arrange the meeting just to procure weapons. The crime boss of the area didn't feel comfortable selling guns to animals admitting to being cops. Nick had given up trying to reason with the thick headed iguana and in the end called Mr. Big and tossed his phone over to the seller. He wasn't sure what was said, but when the smug look on that little jerk dropped to pure horror; it was enough for Nick not to want to know. The iguana tossed him the phone back and told him to take whatever he wanted. Everything from fully automatic rifles firing lethal slugs of lead to newer models of shotguns converted to fire stun rounds and everything in between. Nick and Judy both grabbed semi-automatic stun guns. They fired a paralytic toxin that would stop an assailant but still had the range and accuracy of a normal lethal round. Nick also took a standard handgun...just in case.

Nick and his sizable force of nearly 30 animals just about cleaned out everything. Between the wolves and bears of Mr. Big, and the Monitors and a few concerned citizens they made an impressive force. Nick was told later that there were other animals in the Monitors that would take part in the mission but had their own weapons and were currently cleaning their gear...just waiting. Unfortunately the mammals and reptiles didn't bother to interact. They were all business and hardly even looked at each other. That could be a big problem.

All of Mr. Big's forces had purchased rooms at the hotel. Probably the most business it had seen in years. The desk manager seemed happy about all of the mysterious company and kept asking if there was some sort of event or carnival coming to town. Nick had laughed and said "Yeah, something like that."

Judy and Nick finally got to the room and laid down on the bed staring at the ceiling. They stayed in silence for quite some time before Judy broke it. "What happens now?"

Nick sighed deeply. "Now we rest. Tomorrow we call Bogo and tell him the plan, then the next day...we go to war."

She rolled over and looked at him. "We need to be honest with ourselves here and now. We need to discuss...us...this."

Nick rolled his head over at her and nodded. "You first, Judy. Then I'll say my piece."

She sat up and breathed deep. "Okay, I have deep feelings for you...I-I can't explain them but they are there. With what we are about to do...we need to face the very real possibility that..." she held her breath for a moment, "That one of us...might...well...we might die."

Nick sat up and put his paws on her shoulders. "Judy.."

She continued, not letting him finish. "If that happens...the other MUST continue...there aren't animals like us in this world...we must keep fighting...keep living. I promise that I will….I need you to promise too." She finished with a heavy sigh while her eyes locked with his.

Nick's mind spun. She had quickly become his everything, and now he had to promise to keep living if she wasn't around. He couldn't bare the thought and for a few moments his sadness became frustration, then anger as all the scenarios played out in his head. He sighed deeply and with a heavy heart. "I promise."

Judy shuddered as she started to sob but Nick wasn't done, "I also promise and swear that I will not allow you to die, or to become so injured that you will no longer be able to perform your duties as a police officer. You are everything to me, Judy...we will get through this."

He pulled her into his chest tightly, "I love you Judy Hopps."

They sat like that for a while. Enjoying the embrace and waiting for the raw emotions to settle. Neither wanted to let go for the longest time until Nick finally pulled away and stood up with a sigh. He gathered a towel, undressed, and started heading to the bathroom for his shower after the long day. He was stopped for a moment by Judy speaking, "I love you too, Nicholas Wilde." He turned to see her meeting his gaze, a brightness in her eyes which perhaps hadn't been there before. It was something new, personal, just between them. He smiled and slowly walked away, entering the bathroom.

Judy sat on the bed for a while as she heard the shower start. She found herself studying the sounds of the water. Usually if someone was washing themselves, you could hear the water falling in uneven intervals as they moved around...Judy only heard the sound of the water running. Nick wasn't washing himself, or moving for that matter. She left it a few minutes longer before worry forcer her to her feet. Concerned, she went to the bathroom and opened the door a crack. "Nick?"

There was no response. She opened the door fully and went in, closed it again behind her behind her before she walked over and opened the curtain. She found Nick sitting in the shower, knees pulled into his chest, legs cradled by his arms, head resting on his knees. Only his eyes moved to acknowledge her, now only a dull green, not his normal deep emerald. Stress, fear, and sadness dulled them as much as blood loss would. His emotions were bleeding him dry. Her chest hurt as she watched him. Judy couldn't help herself any longer. She would not stand idly by while he sat in sorrow. The doe climbed into the shower with him, heedless of her clothes getting thoroughly soaked through. She nestled in next to Nick and put her arm around his shoulder and pulled him in close. There they sat in sad silence, the promises they had made to each other weighing heavily on their hearts. The warm water streamed off their bodies and cleansed their souls and would, given some time, soothe their hearts too. Right now however, they simply contented themselves to ponder in silence and every now and again, sob.

Both of them found it difficult to stay awake after sitting in the warm water for over an hour. Judy had actually fallen asleep. Nick gently shook her until she stirred, "Hey Carrots, let's get to bed."

She murmured as she slowly got up and out of the shower. Nick shut off the water and gave Judy his towel before stepping out into the cold room to grab himself one. He stepped back into the warm bathroom to dry off as Judy stepped out to the main room to change out of her wet clothes. He slowed in his efforts as his mind played over the last hour. She had sat there in the shower, just to be there. He stepped out to the cool room with towel in paw, and dug through the small bag on the counter that Calvin brought until he found his boxers. Once he had that done, he found Judy in an oversized shirt climbing under the covers, still not quite awake. Nick laid out the spare blankets on the floor again and reached out for one of the unused pillows on the bed.

"Oh no, Slick, no floor for you. Get up here and get some real sleep. We're going to need the rest."

Nick had stopped the second he heard her speak, but rather than say anything, he just did as she suggested. Honestly, it was good advice, and he was starting to miss the couch at Calvin's house, but a bed was a far more pleasing prospect. So he followed that advice and crawled under the covers with her. She rolled over and embraced him, "We can worry tomorrow, for now though...sleep."

Nick smiled as a tear rolled down his snout. He reached over and turned out the light and slept. For the second time in his life, he didn't sleep alone.

Judy screamed his name at the top of her lungs but he wouldn't call back to her. His uniform was covered in blood as the liquid bubbled out of his mouth and throat. He smiled weakly at her and reached up with a paw and placed it against her cheek, staining her fur with his blood. She watched in horror as his eyes slid closed and his paw fell limply to the cold concrete floor. "No! No, no no Nick! NO NICK!"

* * *

"Judy, it's okay I'm right here!"

She opened her eyes and found the fox leaning over her, concern written in his emerald eyes, one paw on her shoulder. She reached up and pulled him down into her arms and squeezed tight.

"Carrots, need to breathe here!"

She let go "Oh, yeah sorry..."

There was a knock on the door, followed by, "Officer Hopps, are you okay?" It was one of Mr. Big's boys.

Judy sat up, "Yes! Ahem, yes we're fine, just a bad dream is all, thanks."

"Very well, let me know if I can get you anything."

"Thank you, John!" Judy looked back at Nick, "Guess we should get started on the day, huh?"

She got out of bed and grabbed a pair of sweats and had one leg in when Nick spoke. "Judy...are you okay? You were shouting my name at the top of your lungs, scared me half to death."

She slowly continued to get dressed as she spoke, "It was pretty awful, but it was a dream so...I think I'm good."

"If you need to talk...I'm here for you."

She didn't respond with anything other than a nod. Nick sighed and flipped on the TV while still lying in bed, enjoying the warmth. He tuned into ZNN and sat back up. There was a story featuring him on TV right this moment. On the tag it read, "ZPD preparing massive operation against Officer Wilde? Live coverage." It switched to Chief Bogo who was giving a conference.

"We have information on our officer and we are preparing our teams for intervention." There was a ruckus and one reporter got picked. "Chief Bogo, is Officer Wilde so dangerous as to need a full TUSK team? And what information do you have on Officer Hopps's whereabouts?"

Chief Bogo raised a hoof and spoke clearly, "I have given you all the information I can at this stage of our investigation. Your next update will be when this is all over. Good day."

Nick muted the TV and looked at Judy with a smile. "Well I may need to wait a bit to call him. He seems a bit busy."

Judy shook her head while still looking at the TV. "How that animal can remain so calm in front of all those cameras, I'll never know."

Bogo retired to his office rubbing his head, eyes closed, "What a mess this is." He held up his cup towards the memorial board. "Here's to you Officers." He took a deep sip from his coffee and felt the headache subside a bit. Walking across, he sat in his chair pondering how many more officers would get added to that memorial before the end of the week. Just as he was lost in these troubled thoughts, his cell phone buzzed. He grabbed the phone and saw a picture of Officer Wilde. It was the picture of him on the day he reported in for duty. That damned smirk on his face. Bogo answered the call. "This is Bogo, what have you got Wilde?"

"Well, Chief, I've close to 30 animals here ready to go, including members of this district and, well...concerned citizens from Tundra Town. We are planning to start the raids at midnight tonight. Should catch everyone off guard. Is your team ready?"

Bogo liked it so far, "Everyone is ready. We have kept all the details of the op secret so no one can warn them. The team won't know what we are really doing until I brief them on our way there."

Nick responded with his usual charm that never worked on Bogo, "That's why you're the Chief, Chief."

"Wilde..." He grumbled into the phone.

There was a moment of silence before Nick spoke again, "What has been done with Bellwether?"

Bogo leaned back in his chair. "Solitary confinement. She is also facing new 'conspiracy to commit murder' charges. She may have her stay extended beyond her natural life..." Bogo smiled privately to himself on that one. "Where do you want my team, Wilde?"

There was silence for a moment before he responded, sounding somewhat excited. "I got it! Chief, I need your team to watch Precinct 9 for any suspicious activity. If all goes well, there will be some excitement and that will be your time to strike. I have the animals of this district telling me that they are all dirty cops, so I would say detain everybody and sort it out later. This should also keep our officers safe as, if I remember correctly, Precinct 9 has little in the way of lethal arms."

Truth be told, that fox would make a good Sergeant, perhaps even chief of police. Time would tell but his heart was already in the right place. Bogo tried not to sound too pleased with his first fox officer. "Sounds good Wilde, we will be there at 2345 to keep an eye on the place."

Nick sounded pleased enough for both of them, "Alrighty Chief, looking forward to being back in my office doing paperwork and other fun stuff like that."

The Chief actually let a chuckle slip out, "You pull this off, and you will have all the paperwork in the world to enjoy."

Nick laughed on the other end of the phone, "Chief are you actually smiling right now? I can almost see it from here!"

"Can it, Wilde!"

Nick chuckled, "That's better. Alright, gotta go brief the boys and get loaded up. Later Chief."

"Wait one second."

"Yeah Chief?"

Bogo tried not to sound too worried, letting out a suppressed sigh. "Be careful Nick."

There was a momentary pause on the other end. "You too Chief, see you at work tomorrow."

"0900 Sharp. You better not be late."

"Sure thing Chief." The line went silent.

Bogo put his phone down on his desk. For whatever reason, he had the deepest sense of dread. He had two first cops on his force, the first bunny and the first fox. He couldn't shake the dread that by 0900 tomorrow one of them would be the first of their kind killed in the line of duty. He looked up at the memorial on his wall and wondered which name would be added to it. 9 names soon to become 10, maybe even 11. He read through the names from the bottom.

F. Howleski: Shot dead in his police cruiser by a prey animal in response to the Missing Mammals case. _Funny how that one escaped the news._

J. Jagton: Killed in a drug bust. _That jaguar fought for his life in the hospital for three months before finally dying due to his injuries._

P. Weathermoss: Killed during a high speed chase. Police cruisers had not been built with elephants in mind. The impact didn't kill her partner though. He was safe because the car couldn't get through her enormous bulk and shielded him from it. Bogo liked to think that she would have been glad her enormity saved her partner. She really cared for her partner greatly.

K. McBarb: The rhino was the first on the scene of a burning building. He bull rushed his way through walls in order to find anyone still trapped by the flames. He got everyone out and died due to smoke inhalation. Awarded the Medal of Merit posthumously.

K. Sandermane: Beaten to death by a mob that had cornered him while he tried to get first aid to the mob's intended target. It was gang related. The zebra dislocated several jaws and actually managed to take one of the bastards out with him. Taken off life support after being declared brain dead after 6 months. Awarded the Medal of Valor posthumously.

Z. Echnas: Killed by a hit and run while at a traffic stop. No suspects were ever arrested in connection. That one still stung.

S. Pounceton: Killed by an unstable suspect who pulled a knife before she could react. She had been stabbed 23 times before the cheetah was shot dead by her partner. Cheetahs were just too fast for the panther to react in time.

S. Marckson: Killed in a traffic stop. He was hit by a driver that wasn't paying attention. He died instantly.

The final name, the one at the top. Bogo just couldn't bring himself to read it. The only one whose death _he_ was directly responsible for. He _had_ to look though. He had to look and read it again. He deserved better. His partner had deserved better. With tears in his eyes he looked up and read that first name again. Seeing it again made the pain of that day flood back. This one he read out loud.

"Officer Tommy Wolford."

 **AN: :( Yeah another Wolford...Now our duo has the tools, has the animals, and has the targets. Zero hour approaches, nightmares are abound, and dark horizons await our heroes in the next installment...Chapter 10 Trial by Combat. The climax begins to break!**

 **Thanks again for all of the support! I appreciate every single one of you who have taken the time out of your busy lives to give my story a read and review! Thanks so much!**

 **Special thanks go out to a few authors who have helped me on this amazing journey. _AngloFlacon_ , _Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps_ , and _DrummerMax64_. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you for your support and words of advice on this project of mine!**

 **Travel well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10 Trial by Combat

**AN: Thanks to AngloFalcon and Ziegelzeig for the edits and the cover art! Here it is! Everything has been building up to these next few chapters. Buckle up and hold on folks, its about to get crazy! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 10**

Trial by Combat

Nick was still in the bathroom getting ready for the night, while Judy put on her last few items. The new items were a holster and auto-stun pistol. It felt heavy on her side since she had never needed one before tonight. She looked herself over in the mirror. She was a different animal today, looking like she was filled with more determination than that rabbit less than a year ago on her first day of work. The injuries she had sustained a week and change ago were but distant memories. Sure her hip still gave her problems now and again and it did give her pause, but Nick had her back and she his. She could use that to push any discomfort out of her mind. The door to the bathroom opened and Nick stepped out wearing his police uniform as well. The plastic bag Calvin had brought had his uniform and belt. How he got it, Judy guessed Finnick brought it by the diner. Nick had likely made the arrangements the day he made all those calls.

She took a moment to look him over. His uniform was pressed and clean, emblems polished, belt covered, aligned, and loaded with two pistols, one stun one lethal, both on his right side but one in front of the other. It didn't look uncomfortable and seemed to suit him. The only thing Judy had tried to have him fix was that he always rolled his sleeves up past his elbows. Granted he rolled them with as much duty and precision as any other part of his uniform and it didn't look half bad but it still wasn't regulation. She had given up on that endeavor after a few weeks. His tie was tight and pressed with a small clasp bearing the ZPD logo. Lastly his badge - it had been polished, truly polished, and shone brightly. It still showed the damage from the explosion but it was free of smudges and when she stepped in for closer inspection, even the blood that had been hiding stubbornly was gone. He was a handsome fox in that uniform and it suited him, he stood a bit taller in it. Judy beamed with pride.

Nick gave her that smirk which she had come to know so well. "What'd ya say Carrots? Care to take back our city with me?"

She gave him a wide smile. "You bet, partner. What's our first stop?"

Nick opened the door for her as they stepped out. There was a flurry of activity as the team was readying to leave as well and moving towards the door to the hotel exit. "Well, we need to meet up with the Monitors first and gather them up. Then we load up into their bus and head to the docks."

Judy nodded and moved with the crowd. The two officers got some strange looks from the desk manager as his eyes fell upon their uniforms but otherwise said nothing. Mr. Big's boys had arranged their blacked out cars in front of the hotel and were all loading up. The creepiest thing was that they all wore black suits with ear buds, and were armed with small arms and small machine-pistols. It looked like it was going to be a mob hit but they smiled seeing the two officers. A white wolf opened the back door to one of the cars for them to load up. He gave the pair a respectful nod as they got in and Judy paused for one moment and looked up at the wolf, "Thank you John...for being here to help us out."

The wolf smiled, "Mr. Big loves this city and you like family. If you didn't know, we're all volunteers for this. We all jumped at the chance to fight alongside the bunny and fox who saved our city."

Judy felt her throat go dry as she finished buckling in and the door closed securely. A force of 15 mammals, just from Mr. Big, all came here willingly. To be away from their families, put themselves in danger, all for the chance to be with the two hero cops who saved the city. Nick had briefed them on what they faced, he didn't sugar coat it either. Not one of them even flinched. They weren't getting paid, it wasn't their job, they were here because they wanted to be. Judy knew the power of a force like that and smiled as the car rumbled to life and started on its way. Nick looked over at her and noticed the look on her face.

"What's up Carrots?"

She looked over at him smiling wide. "I think we might actually pull this off, Slick. These guys seem like professionals, and we still haven't seen the Monitors after arming them. I'm pretty optimistic about this."

Nick took out his phone as he responded, "Careful, that's contagious."

She laughed and punched him in the shoulder as he started typing on his phone. After a few minutes Judy couldn't handle her curiosity any longer. "What are you doing?"

He didn't look up from his phone as he responded. "Writing letters of recommendation to the Chief on behalf of Calvin Deepstalk, Sierra Clawhan, and Finnick Fennec. They have all shown the traits of great cops and this district will need animals that care as deeply as Cal and Sierra. The ZPD could use Finnick in undercover operations. I think Finnick would love to get out of his current job."

Judy cocked an eyebrow, "Oh? What's he doing now?"

Nick sent the message and looked over at her as he put away his phone. "He delivers mail for ZPS."

Judy laughed, shaking her head. "With a voice like his, he should do voice over work for movies and TV, or his own radio show."

The fox chuckled. "No kidding right? Can you imagine the first time the public sees who did the voice over work for some huge bad guy though? Now that's something I'd love to see!"

The car pulled into a small parking garage and they started towards the top floor. As the car wove around the turns, climbing higher and higher up the floors, Judy's tension rose with it. Finally, they reached the top. There was another sight waiting for her that she had not prepared for. 20 reptiles of various sizes milled about the top floor, gathering last minute supplies and cleaning equipment. Among the crowd, Judy picked out the familiar hues of Cal and Sierra. The Monitors waved as the cars came to a stop and all the mammals stepped out. There was a brief moment where Judy feared that the two groups - mammals and reptiles - wouldn't even look at each other, but it was the wolf, John, who stepped forward to speak.

"Good evening citizens of the Canals District. We are hungry for some action and heard you might be able to point us in the right direction, and when this is all done, we go for drinks, courtesy of Mr. Big."

That got a heartfelt cheer filled with laughter from the Monitors as the two groups came to meet each other. Judy watched in joy as time and time again, claw was taken by paw and shook in fellowship. Despite everything, they all shared one goal, freeing this district of the corruption that strangled it into desperation. Judy was simply in awe of what she saw but took notice of an abnormally large animal standing behind her. When she looked, she let out a startled gasp. It was the largest reptile she had ever laid eyes on. He was a massive saltwater crocodile, kitted out in heavy armor of steel plate that nearly covered every inch of his leathery skin. He held a helmet in his left claw, a fearsome menacing thing. It had two slits for his eyes, the mouth was nothing but more armor. It was something straight out of medieval times. He was looking down at her but before she could say a word, the massive animal knelt down to nearly her level. Even like this he was still taller than Nick.

He grumbled slightly as he spoke and his voice was nearly thunderous. "Officer Judy Hopps, I'm a big fan of yours. I spent ten years in special forces and in all those years I never imagined a fox and bunny would be my idols. It is an honor to stand with you on this day." He extended his claw to her, "Jack Snapjaw, Liz'Marck Marine Special Operations Command...retired of course."

Judy gladly took his claw, "The honor is all mine, I assure you. Nick is somewhere...not sure where he got to."

Jack simply laughed and stood back up, "Where any good leader is - at the front." He pointed to the top of the bus and when her eyes followed, she found her fox standing on it raising his paws. When he spoke, it was a different Nick, one she had never heard before today.

"ANIMALS OF ZOOTOPIA!" The murmur calmed down as they all gathered beneath the bus and looked up to him, "Here we stand, mammal and reptile, predator and prey."

His eyes fell to Judy with a smile on his face before he continued, "Standing together in a common goal. Tonight we free this district together, forgetting any bigotry, forgiving any past wrongs, and looking to the future. The future we will write tonight for all of our beloved city! I promise you that after tonight, I will make it my life's goal to keep fighting, to right the wrongs, and see that no act of open discrimination is carried out in this city. Together, we take a stand, together we take the first bold steps to a bright new future and in this book," Nick held up a black book he had on the bus with him, "our names will be recorded and will go down in history as the ones who carried out the formerly impossible task of conquering our own bigotry and hate, and cleaning out the filth that has plagued this district and our city for too long." Nick took a moment to scan the crowd looking at each and every animal that stood before him. "I look to you not as mammals or reptiles, predators or prey...I see brothers...I see sisters, mothers, and fathers..." Nick started to choke up as he finished. "Live or die...there is no place I would rather be...other than here...among all of you."

He took a deep breath, cocked an eyebrow, and put on his smirk. "Are ya with me?"

The cheer that erupted threatened to shake the building to pieces. Judy's eyes filled with tears as she cheered alongside them. When she looked around, there was not a dry eye to be found. She was so damned proud of that fox, only he could unite these animals as he had just done. Only he and his infinite charisma, determination, and purity of heart could bring such a momentous occasion to fruition. Nick was helped down by Jack and he laid the book down on a weapon crate and the animals filed in to sign it. When at last it was Judy's turn she looked at what was written.

'Herein are the names of the animals who stood fast and firm, a shining beacon of light in a world filled with darkness.'

She looked up at Nick who extended to her, the carrot pen. She had completely forgotten about that pen after all these months, but he still carried it with him. "After you, my dear."

With her paw trembling, she took the pen and signed her name, the thirty-fourth animal to do so. When she finished, she handed Nick back the pen and he signed under her name. When he finished he handed the book to Sierra who then took it to her own car and soon returned. Nick knelt down and took Judy into his arms and hugged her tightly.

He spoke through a choked voice, "I hope it's enough, Judy, I really do."

Judy didn't even get a chance to think about her response. "Only you could have done this Nick, I'm so proud to be here with you...Now let's get this done."

As they stood up, Calvin came walking over carrying a long black bag cradled across his claws. "Nicholas Wilde, on behalf of the Canals District I would like to present you with this custom rifle. It is scaled down from a normal police model but with a few differences." Calvin removed the bag and held the rifle out to Nick as he continued. "The trigger is a match-grade used by the Zoolympic shooting team, the barrel is as tight as they come and self tightens, and the sight is made from the best glass cutters around...please don't ask how we got it." He placed the rifle in Nick's paws. "Tell me Officer Wilde, how do you feel about the idea of taking another animal's life?"

There was no hesitation, "I would like to avoid it if possible."

Calvin stood up nodding in satisfaction, "Good, then you are the right one to wield it. Note, it can take standard tranq magazines as well. Alas, those are more difficult to acquire so we have toxin darts that we made ourselves. They work as well if not better than standard police issue. Here is a small load vest so you can store your ammunition, get it on and let's get going. It's about that time."

Nick checked the time on his phone after getting the vest on. 23:12. _Yep, time to go._ Weapons distributed, team assembled, and all was in place...now was the time. The bus ride was a moment for the team leaders to go over the plans, and maneuvers before they arrived. Jack was cleaning his homemade cannon. It was a three barreled rotary gun powered by a gas canister on his back. It used the toxin darts that had been handed out sparingly. He was the base of fire and with his heavy armor, he could take the punishment.

Nick's heart started to pound as the bus went silent and lights went out, the driver shutting them off as they approached the docks. He felt Judy's paw seek his and he gladly took it. This was it, into the fire.

* * *

The night air was cool, with the peaceful sound of water lapping at the docks. Stars were out shining bright but it wasn't enough light to reveal the massive force that descended upon the docks that night. They moved silently between crates, nets, and pulleys. Nick's earbud buzzed with a whispered voice.

"Tango down, armed mammal in custody."

"10-4, I have one down here as well. Grid three, five, eight."

"Understood."

Nick was pleased; so far there was no gunfire to be heard. This meant that the team was employing the 'non-lethal actions needed' approach, and they were moving quickly. The gecko spies had said that there was 23 animals at the docks, including four police officers...all armed with lethal firepower. As he moved, Judy was never far behind. Suddenly, he stopped. Dead ahead there was a uniformed officer walking in his direction. It was a panther, and it had the same superior night vision that Nick himself possessed.

Without a second thought Nick removed his new rifle from its sling, made sure tranq rounds were loaded and took aim. The sight was fantastic. It had low blue illumination and drop indicators as well as windage adjustments for both tranq rounds and live ammunition. Nick settled on how far the officer was and lined up the shot. His pad slid from the frame of the rifle to the trigger and for a few moments he watched the panther. Doubts filled his mind for the simple fact that it wore the same uniform as he himself was wearing. Light from a nearby lamp reflected off the panther's badge and Nick thought of the words written on it.

'Integrity', 'Trust', 'Bravery'.

He quietly breathed one word before squeezing the trigger. "Traitor." The snap of the hammer falling in place followed by the hiss of air escaping the barrel surprised him; the trigger was indeed quite soft. In the dim light and through his scope, he watched the feathered dart arc towards the panther and strike him square in the neck. The panther dropped his rifle and tried to put his paw to where he had been hit, but froze up and fell over on the pavement. Nick and Judy without a single word to each other got up and bolted to the downed mammal. They got there to hear him panting and making quiet gurgling noises. Nick checked to make sure there was no significant damage before forcing the tightened muscles of the panther to wrap his arms behind his back and apply cuffs.

He turned to Judy, "What is our grid?"

She pulled out a small map and glanced over it while Nick dragged the incapacitated panther behind a stack of crates. "Grid is two five nine."

Nick nodded and put his paw to his earbud. "Uniformed officer in custody at grid two five nine, send recovery team."

"Understood. Recovery team inbound"

A few minutes passed and the unmistakable sound of a tail dragging made it to Nick's ears, Judy's shot up first at the sound and she peeked around the corner with whispered words. "Friendlies, over here Mac."

Mac Lakestride was the second crocodile on the team and was being used for recovery of suspects due to his massive size and strength. He nodded to the two mammals and scooped up the groaning panther, took a moment to scan and make sure the coast was clear before walking in the direction of the bus. Nick nodded to Judy and they started moving again. The earbud continued to buzz with reports of suspects going down without a fight or even noticing what was happening, that caused the partners to smile at each other as they moved. If his estimates were correct then they had apprehended 14 of the 23 animals so far. However, the remaining 9 had become suspicious and moved to the dock house. Nick was positioned outside and from his vantage point could see light coming from the second story window but couldn't see into it. He quickly scanned the area and found a nearby stack of crates that would offer him the view he needed. Judy helped him up and they laid prone on the crates as Judy took out a pair of compact binoculars and scanned the area.

"Okay, Slick, I can see two. One is inside the second story window, a tiger. Looks like he is on the phone, doesn't look too pleased. The other is a wolf patrolling outside on the balcony. Both in uniform."

Nick had his eye looking through his scope while his other remained open subconsciously scanning for movement. "Any ideas?"

Judy thought for a moment before responding. "If you hit the one on the phone, the glass in the window will shatter and alert the one on patrol. So I say the patrol first, since it looks like the word is getting out that something is happening anyway."

Nick shifted his target to the guard on the balcony who was scanning the area with his own binoculars. His fur stood on end when the guard stopped panning and locked his view on their spot on top of the crates. The wolf on guard stared for a moment before lowering his binoculars and quickly yelling into his pawset. Nick exhaled and squeezed the trigger. The shot sailed towards the wolf but he quickly ducked into the building allowing the dart to thud harmlessly on the wooden door.

"Shit, we need to get down now Judy."

They both jumped down from the crates and Nick was sure he heard Judy let out a quiet whimper over the pain in her hip. She shrugged it off quickly so he decided not to press the issue and instead put his paw to his earbud. "Jig is up, ladies and gents. Be ready."

"Understood, all units move in with haste. Detain if possible, kill if you must. Stay safe, everyone goes home tomorrow."

Nick and Judy began to move quickly through the crates heading towards the dock house, as they rounded a corner they almost ran right into a lion. Nick brought his rifle up but the massive feline grabbed it by the barrel and diverted it away from his neck as a dart skipped through his mane. He wrenched the rifle from Nick's grasp and threw him into Judy. They both fell onto the pavement in a heap as the lion began to advance, grabbing Nick around the neck with one massive paw and lifting him off the ground. Nick was shocked at the strength the lion had in his paw. He felt his neck popping and the world grew dark as he futilely tried to scratch at the attacker's face. His strength was wavering when he smiled at the feline and winked. The lion looked confused and brought Nick a bit closer and let some pressure off his neck.

"What are you smiling about?" He growled at him.

Nick let out a choked reply. "Goodnight , _erh,_ Sweetheart."

There was a pop and the cat's eyes rolled into the back of his head and crumpled in a heap on the pavement, Nick still in his grip. He pried the claw off his neck and looked at Judy, her pistol drawn and light cool mist flowing slowly from the barrel. Nick coughed a few times before standing up straight.

"Well that was fun, ahem, Good shot partner."

He held out his paw and helped her to her feet where she winced in pain. Nick noticed blood on her hip where she had fallen, and his eyes widened with worry. "Judy!"

She looked up at him with a grimacing smile. "It's fine Nick, I just landed hard is all."

Nick shook his head as he spoke. "That's crap Judy and you know it. You reopened your hip. Let's get you back to the bus."

The sound of automatic fire stopped them from continuing any further. Their earbuds buzzed with activity. "This is the COC, we are under fire, Sampson is down; John, Ken, and Jack, return to the COC all other units finish this."

Nick gathered his rifle and helped Judy to a new vantage point and leaned her up against a stack of crates that gave her a good view of a small open area in front of the dock house and handed her his rifle.

"Alright Judy, here's the plan, I'll go down and make a ruckus and get them to come out for me and when they do, you put them down," He unzipped his vest holding the extra ammunition, "Blue mags are tranq rounds, red are lethal."

She started to say something but he quickly put a paw pad to her mouth. "Nope nope nope, you had my back with the lion, I need you on overwatch. You can see everything from here. Don't move and hurt yourself. Just keep your head down okay?"

She simply nodded. "Don't do anything stupid, Nick."

He smiled as he jumped down. "It's me Carrots, how bad could it be?"

She mused to herself after he left. "Yeah that's what I'm talking about."

She rested the rifle on her raised knee and looked through the scope. It was instantly easy to read and understand. The bullpup rifle felt lighter than it was since the weight was balanced in the center of the rifle rather than the front and it settled easily in her shoulder. She was better with pistols on the range. The rifles at the ZPD were sized appropriately for wolves being the smallest mammals on the force, not bunnies or foxes. This felt like an extension of her own body and as if it was made for her specifically.

With her non-dominant eye she watched Nick set up in a good spot and pull a pistol. From here she couldn't tell which he pulled but he aimed it at the downstairs door. Only a moment passed before she got her answer as he fired three shots through the door. The sound of the shots made her jump slightly but she wasn't the only one who noticed it. The door opened and a wolf's head appeared by the door as he peaked out. Nick fired a few more shots at the wolf making him duck back behind the door. Soon another animal appeared at the door. A massive rhino opened fire on Nick with a belt-fed machine gun peppering his location with rounds as the wolf dived out behind some crates. Judy didn't check on Nick or hesitate for a moment, she squeezed the trigger with her sights set on the rhino, not once or twice but rather unloaded the magazine on the massive mammal. She looked at the rhino through the sights and noticed him wobbling badly yet still firing. His shots went wide and tore the into the wolf hiding behind the crates trying to shield himself from Nick's position, not his own ally. The wolf let out a yelp as he dived out of the way and a shot from Nick's tranq pistol finished off the rhino.

She glanced down at Nick as she loaded the fresh tranq mag into the rifle. Nick rushed over to the wounded wolf who didn't try to put up a fight thankfully. That wolf looked bad and Nick's voice coming over the earbud confirmed that much. "We have a seriously wounded suspect at the entrance to the dock house. Any available medical personnel make their way to my position."

Judy wanted to go down to him but she knew that there had been 9 animals remaining, one was the lion that they brought down, the wolf, rhino and at least still one inside since she hadn't seen the tiger that was on the phone earlier. She settled her sights back on the opened door.

Her earbud buzzed. "One vehicle leaving the scene. We spotted 5 animals getting into it. Likely en-route to Precinct 9."

Chief Bogo's voice came through this time. "This is Chaos Actual, ZPD Precinct 1 will intercept once it arrives. Estimated time of arrival is two minutes. At that point we will launch our operation and take over Precinct 9. Good work animals."

Sure enough the tiger peaked his head out the door carefully then leaned over to check the rhino on the floor. When he did, Judy took one well aimed shot. The dart arced towards the tiger and hit him in the side of his neck, dropping him instantly.

Judy put her paw to her earbud. "Four down here, with the five that got away and who we already have in custody, that should be all of them. All available units secure the area and search for evidence."

She breathed deeply as she stood up, hip throbbing angrily. "Medical personnel to the dock house."

Judy slowly climbed down grunting in pain as she made her way over to Nick. Something wasn't right about it, he was frantically working on the wolf and as she got close she heard their conversation.

"Oh what am I doing here? Why, why did I agree to this nonsense?"

Nick was holding a gash in the wolf's side likely keeping his innards from spilling out onto the pavement. "Relax, bud. I can't help you if you keep flailing around like this!"

The wolf wore a ZPD uniform, and Judy seeing this put her paw to her mouth in horror. Yes he betrayed that uniform, but he was still a cop coming to terms with all of this.

The wolf looked at Nick dead in the eyes, "I don't deserve to live for what I've done! Please just let me die! I-I can't feel my legs or my right arm!"

Nick cradled the wolf's head with his paw as he spoke calmly, "That's probably because you have a bullet that shattered your arm. Don't worry, I've it tied off. I need you to stay calm."

Judy stepped closer to them as she heard the wolf crying. "Tell my family I'm sorry. I've failed everyone, especially you two," Seeing the look on the fox's and bunny's faces, he continued. "Yes, I know who you are Officers Wilde, and Hopps."

The wolf drew a ragged breath before saying two last words, "I'm sorry!"

Before either of them could react, the wolf pulled a small single shot pistol from his hip pocket with his one good arm, put it under his chin and pulled the trigger. His body instantly went limp as the small caliber killed him instantly. Nick held the wolf for a moment uncomprehendingly staring at the body as the final shot rang out over the otherwise silent docks.

Nick's rage built up quickly staring at the lifeless body. "You FOOL! Why? What good did that do your family?! You stupid, selfish animal!"

Nick turned his head to the sky and roared out in anger, it was a noise Judy had never heard from him, nor was it one she ever wanted to again and it made her ears drop down over her back. She limped over a put her paw on his shoulder. Nick looked up at her, anguish in his eyes. A few moments of looking into hers, he calmed down and crossed the wolf's arms over his chest as the medical team arrived with a small escort. They stopped and stared at the scene for a moment. Nick covered in the wolf's blood, Judy bleeding from her hip and Nick looking absolutely beaten. He stood up from the dead wolf and looked at the team, "Tend to my partner please guys."

They nodded, "Come with us Judy, we will get your hip looked at." The medical team were members of the Monitors that had actual medical training but had a hard time getting a job anywhere on a count of them being reptiles. She followed them but stopped to look over at her partner, "Nick.."

He looked up from the body of the wolf, "Don't worry Judy, I'll be there in a bit...I-I just need a minute."

She nodded and was led away by the team leaving Nick to stare at the wolf alone. He knelt down and closed the wolf's dead eyes, "You may have spent some time in jail, but no family deserves to go on without their father. Your actions in this conspiracy were forgivable. This however..." Nick stood up and shook his head, "... _I_ will not forgive."

Nick walked over to the door of the dock house where the rhino and tiger lay paralyzed on the floor. The rhino was stirring but couldn't really do anything. It was as if his limbs didn't belong to him. Upon seeing the fox his eyes widened and he spoke with a thick tongue. "Hufferson...How is...Hufferson? Is he...alright? He's...my partner."

Nick felt a stab at his heart. They may be wrong, but they were still cops. Nick knelt down net to the rhino and grabbed his massive pad. "I'm sorry." He could hear the sobs from the tiger as well, these last three being the remaining cops on the docks.

The rhino's eye lids drooped in sadness. "What...am I...going to tell...his wife? Was it...quick?"

Nick sighed deeply before speaking, "Yeah, bud...it was quick."

 **AN: Well, we are now at the beginning of the climax of the story. The next chapters are only going to get more difficult for our heroes. The docks are secured, commerce will be restored to the Canals District thanks to the actions of these animals! Keep an eye out for the next chapter where they go for target number two in chapter 10 _Wrong Things for Wrong Reasons._**

 **Massive shout out to AngloFalcon for his editing of this chapter! Also huge shout out to Ziegelzeig** **for the cover art! He is on this site as well as on DA, check out his art! He is fantastic!**

 **Travel well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11 Wrong Things For Wrong Reason

**AN: Hello everyone! Here we go with another chapter! Getting close to the end here! Congrats to Zootopia at the Oscars! Very happy about that! Cause we all want a sequel! Thanks to AngloFalcon for his editorial skills! He now has 4 chapters and an epilogue to proofread...then we move on to the sequel! Enough blabber! On to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 11**

Wrong Things for Wrong Reasons

The bus ride was mostly silent back to the Monitors' headquarters to drop off prisoners. Sampson whimpered in pain from two gunshot wounds in his abdomen, and the three cops were quietly sobbing over the loss of Hufferson, whose body had been wrapped up and put in the seat in front of them on a makeshift stretcher. He had been fully covered up respectfully. Nick sat next to Judy up front while she napped from the turbulent night. He didn't blame her for needing the nap. She had refused any pain medication while they stitched her up saying that it would affect her senses and prevent her from continuing the mission. Instead, they gave her a few needles filled with a local anesthetic that could dull the pain in the area. He pulled her sleeping form in close and admired her for her strength. Bogo had reported in earlier, stating that it was taking more time than expected to take the precinct but he would join them as soon as they were available. So far, two ZPD Precinct 1 officers had been incapacitated by tranq rounds, but they had ten from Precinct 9 in custody.

The bus came to a stop in front of a nondescript building where several members of the Monitors were waiting for them. The first one off was Sampson, who was carried out on a stretcher followed by the prisoners the last three were the traitor cops still alive.

The rhino stopped and looked at Nick. "Thanks for trying to save my partner. I'll never forget you."

Nick nodded as the rhino got off the bus. The doors closed and it started on its way to their second objective. The research facility under the district. Nick could only imagine the horrors they would find inside. For this phase he had stressed the importance of using non-lethal munitions since there was the risk of hitting the napped animals. Nick rested his head against the padded chair and closed his eyes. Judy had the right idea; the entrance to the facility was over 30 minutes away and it was time for a good nap.

"Get a few winks while you can, ladies and gents," the fox smiled. "30 minutes is perfect for a nap and we will need our wits about us."

He heard one of Mr. Big's animals say, "That's a fantastic idea..." while the rest of the bus shifted into more comfortable positions. Most were heeding the advice, but there was still a few quiet conversations going on in the bus. Nick let sleep take him for the ride there.

* * *

Far too soon the bus came to a halt, and they had reached their destination. It was in the middle of a street and they were taking the path down an animalhole cover into the depths of the street. Nick roused Judy who rubbed her eyes and checked her pistol. Nick likewise checked his pistols and rifle to make sure he was set; only two mags of tranq for the rifle left but three for his pistol. At this rate they wouldn't have much left over for the final push on the warehouse. The team of 34 animals filed off the bus and they opened the cargo doors revealing ballistic shields with bullet-proof viewing windows. As they would be in the tunnels, they would need them. Mac used a crowbar to pull up the circular cover with ease, and Nick looked down, squinting. He made sure his earbud was in place before he started to climb down. His paws hit the floor and he found it surprisingly dry. This section had been blocked from drainage of any kind. They were in the right place, that's for sure. Nick took a quick glance around and saw that there wasn't much for cover nearby, just a few piles of rubble and garbage. He looked back up the pipe and saw Judy on her way down. The fox saw a light out of the corner of his eye and only by instinct did he drop to the floor.

Lucky thing he did too, as a bullet screamed past his head. He crawled over to the pile of rubble and sheltered behind the meager cover as the masonry around him continued to explode with impacting rounds.

"Judy, don't come down here!"he shouted into his pawset. "There's no cover. Send me Jack and anyone with the shields. I need them NOW!"

She didn't respond, but he hoped it was because she was busy climbing back up the ladder. He risked a peek and saw a few shapes moving in the dim backlighting at the end of the tunnel. Sucking in breath, he leaned out with his rifle and took a well aimed shot, instantly dropping one figure. This however earned him a new fusillade of rounds that blew chunks out of his cover. One tore through his right arm. He yelped and ducked back behind his cover to examine his injury. Nothing too serious, but it would need stitches. _Where the hell is my backup?_

As if he summoned it, Jack's massive armored bulk landed heavily with the sound of creaking metal from the pipe leading to the street. He took a few steps forward, not yet firing his cannon as a wolf and komodo dragon landed behind him, brought their shields up on either side of Jack, and began moving forward with him. Together they formed a nearly impenetrable barrier and as the wall approached Nick, the dragon stepped over him and the wall stopped. The dragon looked over his shoulder, "Let's move it Nick!" It was Calvin.

Nick stood up and brought his rifle into the pocket of his shoulder and nodded. He heard other animals dropping in behind him and became aware that Judy was at his side. He looked over at her as she looked at his arm, concern plain on her face and in her ears as they drooped.

"It's far worse than it looks I assure you, like two weeks off of work bad." He said with a smirk. She simply shook her head with a smile,drew her pistol and moved with the shield wall.

Nick being on the left of the shield wall had to switch the rifle to his non-dominant hand. He expected it to feel awkward in his off paws but was pleasantly surprised when it didn't. It took him a moment to find the right position for his cheek but when he did, he quickly peeked out from around the wall looking for targets. He spotted movement, gave it a small lead and squeezed the trigger. His shot went wide but Jack saw it and moved his cannon onto the target and peppered it with darts. The figure stumbled and lay still. They continued down the path behind the wall of armor. Every time Nick heard a round ping off Jack's armor, he glanced at him to make sure the massive animal was still standing. He could smell the powerful musk coming from reptile and mammal alike from the sheer amount of stress. These tunnels didn't have much in the way of ventilation and it was nearly unbearable. Nick risked a glance behind him and saw that the remaining force had dropped in with them, flashlights attached to their weapons, crouching low, stalking. With the dim lighting from the front, Nick could see the glint of the predator's eyes. The sight chilled his bones even knowing that they were his allies. He wondered what the animals on the other side of the wall of armor felt facing such a force. Judging by the sound of lethal weapon's fire becoming more and more sporadic, he figured they were either falling back, or falling unconscious.

Calvin nearly fell stumbling on an incapacitated suspect, but was saved by Nick and Judy reaching out and grabbing his shirt and keeping him standing. He regained his footing as they continued to push. Finally the last of the gunfire subsided as the last gunmen fell. They pushed into a large room that contained an array of gurneys and hospital equipment all clean and showing signs of recent use. One station, however, was covered in drying blood. Around it rested dirty medical instruments and tools. Nick shuddered to think what had been done to whoever had been on that table. The wall of armor approached the only other door in the room as the team restrained the suspects. There were 12 in total lying on the floor, moaning and gurgling.

Judy flipped on the light in the room, making everyone squint against the light. "Okay folks, check yourselves for injuries. Nick, come here."

Nick slung his rifle and walked over to her with a smirk. He sat down on a stool as she stood next to him, looking over his arm.

"Nice job on this one, Slick. It went pretty deep and will need cleaning and stitches. I think we can clean it here. Shirt, off."

Nick shot her a sly glance as she shook her head with a smile and went to find some useful supplies. The fox took the moment to look at the rest of the team as he removed his shirt. They were all looking pretty ragged. Some had their suits torn and blood showed up on a few but it was mostly scrapes from falling in the dim tunnels or acquired at the docks. Nick looked over at Jack who was standing guard over the door into the room and his eyes widened at the sight. Between his armor plate, blood had been seeping out. The front of his armor was peppered with pockmarks from the sheer amount of firepower he had absorbed. Some of those rounds must have made it through his armor. He stood firm on his feet, eye slits facing the door with that terrifying helm, resolute in his training and skill. Judy had begun to scrub his arm and Nick winced at the pain flooding his system.

She noticed his discomfort and pulled out a syringe from her small belt pouch. Nick grabbed her paw. "Carrots, those are for your hip, don't use them on me."

She smiled and sighed deeply. "Nick, we need to get this cleaned so it doesn't get infected. I can't be gentle."

He gulped but looked into her eyes. "Then scrub. Keep those shots, we still have one more stop to go."

Her ears fell when she saw the seriousness in his eyes; there was no negotiation with him. "But...I don't like causing you pain."

He straightened up on the stool. "Better than seeing you in pain. Please, Judy. Keep the shots."

In the end she relented and put away the syringe and continued to scrub out the gash. It wasn't wide but fairly deep. Judy could see bare muscle in the gap and it almost made her sick with sadness at seeing Nick with such a deep wound. He did his best not to whimper in pain but standing this close to him, only she could hear it. She noticed that they were being watched in awe by several of the animals in the room but she paid them no mind and continued her work. John padded over,opened a bag and pulled out a suture kit.

He looked down at Judy. "I have some experience with this...do you want me to do it, or would you rather do it?"

Judy took the kit in her paws. "I have quite a bit of sewing experience. Lots of siblings always ripping up their clothes at play and work."

John nodded and went back to helping one water monitor with a dislocated shoulder, an injury sustained when she fell from the last few rungs of the ladder into the pipes. Scaled claws didn't have much purchase on metal rungs, the rabbit guessed.

Judy's earbud buzzed. "Officer Hopps, this is Chaos Actual."

She put her paw to her bud. "Go Chaos."

"We have secured Precinct 9 with no serious injuries. What is your status?"

She smiled at Nick; the plan was working. "We have some cuts, bruises and Wilde was grazed by a round but we are inside and getting patched up. We will be moving soon. I almost have Officer Wilde all stitched up. Head to the back entrance if you can and keep an eye on it in case any try to make a run for it."

There was a momentary pause, "Understood. Keep your heads down."

She turned her attention back to Nick and finished his stitches. Nick, however, was looking at Jack. She followed his gaze and saw the blood seeping out of his armor. Nick waved her on as he bandaged himself. Judy nodded and walked over to the massive crocodile.

"Jack, are you okay?"

The massive helm shifted to look down to the bunny at his feet. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" his deep voice echoing from within the helm.

Judy rolled her eyes. "Oh I don't know, maybe it's the blood seeping out of your armor?"

Jack chuckled. "Dear Officer Hopps, we salt crocs have very thick skin. That is merely bullet fragments that slipped through and caused some superficial damage. Trust me, I'm quite well. Are we ready to move?"

Judy looked back at Nick as he was putting his shirt back on, then to the rest of the team. They were all standing holding their weapons looking to her, waiting for her word. She still couldn't wrap her head around these brave animals and their choice to do this. That and she also noticed that they were standing together completely mixed, mammals and reptiles, no hints of any specific divisions.

She smiled at them. "Look around you, what do you see?"

They all looked to the animals next to them, then back at her looking somewhat confused by her question. "Exactly. What did you see? Not a reptile or a mammal, you saw someone you could trust. It is as Nick said, brothers...sisters, mothers and fathers...most importantly friends. Keep each other safe. We will need to bring this to our city and heal the rift that has kept us apart. Let's get this done." She glanced across. "Ready Nick?"

He hefted his rifle back into his shoulder, the muzzle down but ready to be brought on target. "Ready as I'll ever be, Fluff."

They all filed in behind the shield wall and when Jack received the pat on the leg, he bulled the door down...right into a hail of bullets that pinged off his armor. A few rounds hissed by him and a yelp behind them told Judy that one of team had been hit, but she was already following Calvin and John as they stepped in with the ballistic shields. Nick on the left, Judy on the right, they made slow progress and her ears were starting to ache from the sounds of constant gunfire. Her eyes stung from the gunpowder in the air as they pressed on. Suspect after suspect fell to the whine of Jack's cannon and precise shots snapped off by Judy and Nick until they came to the final room of the research facility.

The room was massive and in the center was another saltwater crocodile, likewise kitted out in armor like Jack - they almost looked like twins. The armored croc was flanked by two equally armored Komodo dragons. In their claws was a small blue ball. One for each. Judy had an uneasy feeling about it and she soon found out why. The three armored reptiles crushed the blue balls they had in their claws. Blue liquid dripped from their closed fists and together they let out a hiss that made every fiber of her being recoil in instinctual fear. Even Nick had the look of terror on his face.

Jack only dropped his cannon and drew a wicked dagger from his hip. "Any reptile skilled in close combat, join me if you will. Mammals stay out of this, we don't need anyone going savage. Check the second story of this place...I smell juvenile reptiles here."

Judy was the first to speak. "Jack, we can't just kill them!"

"Look at their armor, Officer Hopps, What do you see?" When she didn't respond, he answered his own question. "Blood, Hopps, running from the armor being planted into their flesh. You saw the gurney in the first room. Some of those tools were not medical in nature. These reptiles are already dead, I assure you, their bodies just haven't caught up to their souls yet."

Three more reptiles joined Jack. A monitor named Vek, a sailfin water lizard, Kess, and a komodo Sa'an. The sailfin had Judy worried since she wasn't much taller than Nick. However a forceful look from her made Judy jump into action and start up the stairs with the rest of the team. As she went, she could hear the fight starting with hissing and something akin to barking. When she got to the top, she found containment cells similar to the ones at Mayor Lionheart's facility. Inside them were several reptiles, young ones by the look of them. They had scars crisscrossing their bodies from beatings and most were naked. Judy couldn't get the door open but Nick was there and she saw that the rifle had a red magazine loaded. Judy flinched for a moment as the rifle blew the lock apart. She was the first one in along with Calvin.

They all pulled back away from her, looking terrified. She held up empty paws and had her ears down. "I'm Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD Precinct 1. These are my friends. We are here to rescue you."

They didn't move but after a few gut wrenching moments, one spoke up from the back. "Judy Hopps? The one who saved the city?"

She looked to the emaciated monitor who spoke. The poor girl barely wore anything and fresh welts lined with blood shown clear on her bruised flesh. Judy nearly burst into tears seeing her like that, especially she couldn't be much older than 8 years, given her size.

Judy nodded to the monitor, and her words choked as she spoke. "That's right, and this handsome fox is Officer Nicholas Wilde." Nick winked at the child hearing his name and put on his best smile for them. Judy continued, "This tall hunk is Calvin and we're...we're here to get you home, away from all of this."

Calvin nodded to them with a smirk when he heard his name. The young monitor waited for a moment then sprinted into Judy's arms. She squeezed but there was so little strength to the child that it finally broke Judy into tears.

"My name is Vira." The monitor spoke through a choked voice and began to cry as they both slid to the floor. The other reptiles in the room then rushed over in a flood, hugging her and Calvin, all crying.

An agonized scream from the center of the room got Nick's attention and he turned to see what caused it. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Vek, who had been fighting the three armored beasts, lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, completely motionless. His arm rested a few feet away, torn from his socket with such brutality and tossed like a piece of garbage.

Nick brought his rifle to bare, rested it on the railing and called to Judy. "We've got problems, Fluff, get those hatchlings out of here! Team, sweep the area and find all of the missing. Eggs and all. Get them out! Get them home!"

The team sprung into action and Nick set his sights on the first armored dragon. It was winning in the fight against the sailfin Kess. He waited and waited for the right moment to squeeze the trigger. His paws began to sweat. _Come on you, give me a good shot, just one_.

With a powerful blow, Kess crumbled to the floor, moaning in pain. The armored dragon bent over to finish the job, exposing a gap in his armor to Nick. The fox didn't think twice as he squeezed the trigger. When he settled his sights back on the dragon it was now looking up at him through those eye slits. He sighted in on them and with hope he squeezed the trigger again. This time the shot had the desired effect and the armored dragon instantly fell to the floor in a heap. No twitch, no sound, as if someone had flicked a switch and turned it off.

He turned his attention to the second dragon who was doing battle with Sa'an. Luckily, the komodo was very quick on his claws and kept moving to avoid strikes. Nick fired a shot that pinged against the armored helm. That was the distraction Sa'an needed and in a flash, he procured a knife as the armored suspect turned to look at Nick only to have the knife slip between the armored plates of its neck. Blood flowed freely, but it earned him a backhand that sent Sa'an into the floor. As the dragon tried to decide what to do, it wavered on unsteady limbs and slowly sank to the floor and stopped moving. Jack had the croc by the head and with a sickening crack, he snapped its neck and dropped its limp form on the floor. He stood there staring at the corpse while Nick rushed down the stairs to check on the sailfin.

She was bloodied and her eyes were already swelling shut, but she had a pulse. He looked up at Sa'an who was dragging himself up off the floor. Finally he looked to Vek lying on the floor, blood still leaking from his severed arm. Nick rushed over to him and lifted his head. To his surprise, his eyes opened.

His golden eyes were dull with pain and blood loss, unfocused and lazy. "W-Who's there?"

Nick choked, "It's Nick, I'm here buddy...relax."

Vek flicked out his tongue and licked his lips. "My daughter...was she...was she here? Vira...her name is Vira."

Nick struggled to keep his words straight as his tears flowed off his snout, wetting the water monitor's face, "Yes she was here. Judy took her out of this place. She is going to be fine, thanks to you."

He closed his dull eyes. "Officer Wilde...don't let her...go to an orphanage. I-I was all she had left, find her a home...please."

Nick pulled Vek's head into his chest and cried. He could feel him going so very cold.

"Nick...are those tears for me?"

Nick let out a strangled chuckle. "You bet bud...they're all for you Vek. E-Every one of em."

He could feel Vek's face contort into a smile through his paws resting on the reptile's face. "That's...the nicest thing...a mammal...has ever done...for me." There was a long pause, "Thank..." Then a deep sigh as the remaining air escaped from his lungs.

Nick laid Vek's head down and stood up wiping his face. "You bet bud...anytime."

Moments passed before Jack's massive claw rested on his shoulder comfortingly. "You did good, Officer Wilde. We all knew the risks, we all made the choice. He believed in you and in this cause. You have given this district hope."

Nick nodded and breathed deeply, "Get the wounded out. Leave no one behind, we carry our heroes with us dead or alive. We still have one more task to complete."

 **AN: Yeesh...I know...its tough. I'm sorry guys that I keep ramping up the feels, but this whole story has been building up to this moment and we are almost in the middle of the climax. I'm crazy it seems, making the climax of my story stretch over three chapters.**

 **Quick thanks to these individuals with brief explanations because I couldn't have come this far without their support!**

 **AngloFalcon=Editor in Chief!**

 **DrummerMax64=Outstanding support as well as approving my story to feature on AO3 or ZNN!**

 **Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps=Outstanding support for my endeavors and great encouragement!**

 **Travel well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12 Final Reckoning

**AN: Thanks to AngloFalcon for getting this to me in a quick manner! This is going to be a crazy chapter, so hang on!**

 **Chapter 12**

Final Reckoning

Chief Bogo had been waiting at the exit to the facility. Luckily there were no ladders to climb up this time, and instead the group of mammals walked out of a tunnel that led to the sea. Their path was dry the whole way. Kess had woken up about half-way through and insisted on not being carried out. She wanted to step out on her own and support herself. Chief Bogo's face fell when he saw Nick had taken the responsibility of carrying Vek's lifeless body out of the facility himself upon his shoulders, the blood staining his uniform. Sa'an had the severed limb wrapped up in cloth; no need for everyone to see it. Once Nick stepped outside, animals rushed over to help him with Vek. A few began to cry as they carried his body to a waiting van. Nick was escorted to an ambulance which was on site to provide assistance to the wounded from the two battles. Judy spotted Nick as he sat in the ambulance getting his arm looked over.

She rushed over, put her paw on his leg and looked into his eyes. There was so much she wanted to say, to comfort him, to throw herself at him and hold him tight, but with the ZPD as a whole unaware of their relationship, she had to restrain herself from doing what she most wanted. Nick looked over at her and gave her a weary smile and took her paw in his. "Rough day, huh Carrots?"

Her ears drooped low. "It's not over yet...one more Nick, just one more."

He sighed deeply as his ears fell flat against the back of his head. "If I have to hold one more animal as they die...I think I'll finally lose it."

She squeezed his paw gently. "Don't Nick. I can't lose you."

He chuckled a bit and put on his best smile. "You can have-" he stopped himself mid-sentence realizing how poor in taste it was. Awful in fact. He was ashamed to have even entertained the thought. He must be exhausted.

Judy however squeezed his paw tighter. "You don't have to do it alone, Nick. If there is a next time, I will be there...just promise you'll be there for me. Help me through it. We shoulder this responsibility together."

Their conversation was cut short by Chief Bogo approaching. He wore heavy armor as well as did the other cops in the team. It looked dusty and Nick guessed it hadn't been used in a few years, but despite that, he looked pretty good in full battle-rattle. "Officer Wilde, so far everything has gone well. We caught four trying to escape out the back. Your planning has resulted in over 80 arrests so far with enough evidence to keep them locked up for years to come."

Nick looked over at the gurney that had Vek on it as a sheet was draped over his body. "It didn't all go so well. Who else was hit? I heard a yelp as we pushed through."

Bogo shifted slightly on his hooves as he spoke. "Mcgrowl was hit, although I think it actually just angered him. He really doesn't want to quit the fight. Another one of Mr. Big's boys, I assume?"

Nick nodded, "This wouldn't have been possible without those animals, Chief. We wouldn't have gotten even this far." Nick spotted Sierra Clawhan driving up in her car. When she stepped out, Nick called out to her. "Sierra, can you bring me the book?"

The chief cocked an eyebrow at him. "Book? You found something of importance?"

Nick smiled as Sierra put the book in his paws. "Of the greatest importance, Chief. Open it"

The massive buffalo opened the book to the first page and his eyes widened as he read the opening line and the following names. Nick smiled at his expression. "Every single one of them, Chief, they all deserve recommendations to the ZPD. They are all professionals, and they all have the heart and strength. You keep that book Chief. Maybe we can use this story to heal our city."

The chief nodded and wandered off to a group of police cruisers that had just arrived. Fangmeyer was unmistakable among the crowd and when she caught sight him and Judy at the ambulance she ran.

Nick leaned over to Judy, "Hey Carrots, get ready."

She looked up at him, "Ready for what?"

Before she could say another word, the tigress scooped her up into her arms crying, "Oh Judy! I've been so worried about you! What were you thinking, sneaking off like that?"

Judy shot a wide grin at her friend who was nearly smothering her. "I'm sorry Fang, but I had to find my partner. I know it was stupid and foolish...I should've told you what was going on."

Fangmeyer finally set Judy down and knelt down to look her in the eyes. "No Judy, you did alright. After what we found out about our own officers in the ZPD, I would say you played it safe. Besides, with how down Wilde was after the explosion, I would say that he really needed to see you. I bet it was quite the reunion!"

Judy giggled. "It was Fang! It really was..."

Nick gazed absently out towards the city, longing to be back there. For things to just be over and this whole mess left behind them. Especially now that the final phase of the operation was upon them. He would have to confront his former colleagues and arrest them. He cared less about Albalupus since he was a transfer from Precinct 9, but Delgato? Wolford?

He looked to the floor of the ambulance as it began to blur as his eyes stung. That wolf helped him so much the night of the explosion that almost killed Judy. He gave Nick the determination he needed and pulled him, literally, out of the dark despair he had been feeling. He spoke of his partner...No one had heard of Wolford's first partner. Hell, Nick didn't even know that wolf's first name, only that it began with a W.

Chief Bogo's voice brought Nick out of his brooding. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Officer Wilde, please gather your team; we leave in five."

Hearing this, Nick's team congregated around the back of the ambulance, waiting for his word. Nick stood up to address them. "We have two injured...one dead. Sampson is in surgery, and Mcgrowl is on his way to the hospital...cursing the whole way."

That got the crowd chuckling.

"We lost a good animal tonight. He was the father of one of the reptiles we saved in the rescue.."

Nick paused for a moment as he put his paw to his chest and felt his badge. "I'm going to share a few words with you. First is integrity - all of you have shown the greatest integrity with each other, and with me. Your moral dedication is something that I admire about all of you. The second is Truth - you have confronted the harsh truth of the state our city is in, the state that this district is in, and you have held that value tight. Lastly is bravery...I can imagine no animals in all of Zootopia who have shown as much as you have. Hold onto these values, cherish them...for without them...we're no better than the suspects we detain. This is it - the final push. Let's finish it."

The group cheered as he stepped down out of the ambulance and was patted on the back by several members of the team, reptiles and mammals alike. Phrases like "You got it Boss" and "Well said bud" were spoken to him as he pushed his way towards the bus to find Judy and Bogo standing there waiting.

Judy smiled up at him, violet eyes shining. "Well said, Slick."

Bogo however was staring at him with his mouth hanging open. After a moment he collected himself. "Who the hell are you, and what did you do with Officer Wilde?"

Nick smirked at the Chief. "Aw, do you miss me Chief?"

Bogo actually smiled, "There's my fox cop. Let's go."

* * *

The drive to the warehouse didn't take too long. The bus stopped about a block away and unloaded the team while Bogo's went around the back to set up a cordon. They were blocking off the entire area to keep them contained. This meant that his team had to wait until the chief was in position. The anticipation was starting to make Nick's fur itch and Judy's nose twitch.

Judy's earbud buzzed. "Chaos in position. It's a green light."

She gave Nick a nod and together along with Calvin and John they started to move through the alleyways towards the warehouse. A pair of Big's bears climbed up the fire escape of a nearby building, massive rifle in tow. The rifle was a military grade anti-materiel sniper system. Just in case they encountered anymore armored foes. Nick's fire team moved swiftly and got into position near the crates the fox had hidden behind over a week ago. There was little activity going on in the area; only two guards walked on patrol. One was a brown bear, and the other was a uniformed cop. Nick's anger grew as he realized it was Wolford. Nick watched as the wolf rounded the building and, when the coast was clear, he started to move in and close the distance with him. He motioned his team into different overwatch positions as he took up the ambush location. He would have his answers. He needed to know _why_.

Wolford was coming closer and when he was a few feet away from Nick, he stopped with a suspicious look on his face and started sniffing the air. After a few moments he wore a look of surprise. "Wilde?"

Nick's legs coiled up and he jumped right into the wolf, tackling him to the ground. Wolford quickly shifted his body weight and tossed Nick off, but as he started to climb back to his feet, Nick delivered a kick to the wolf's face, causing him to see stars for a moment before he felt the fox's arms around his neck tightening. Wolford reached up and pulled Nick's arms away from his throat just enough to get a paw in between them and shifted again, allowing for a clear shot to Nick's gut with his elbow. Nick let go gasping for air, and it gave Wolford the time to get to his feet and finally look the fox in the eyes. Anguish, rage, and despair filled Nick's eyes as they stared at each other. Seeing this, Wolford lessened his aggressive stance, dropped to his knees and held out his paws, wrists together.

Nick looked confused, "What is this Wolford?" he asked in a whisper. "Why did you betray the ZPD? Betray _me_?"

Wolford wore a look of pure neutrality, devoid of any emotions as he spoke. "Cuffs first, Officer Wilde, then we talk."

From behind Nick came Judy, Calvin, and John. Judy had her pistol out and the others had submachine guns drawn and trained on Wolford. Nick stepped forward and put a pair of paw cuffs on the wolf, who didn't look bothered by it but rather had his eyes on Calvin. "Quite the team you have put together, Wilde."

Nick scoffed as the cuffs ratcheted in place. "Better than you."

That got a reaction out of the wolf. His face fell and ears laid back against his head. Shame filled his eyes. "In my left hip pocket I have something for you, Officer Wilde" He started to reach but Nick's mind went back to Officer Hufferson on the docks, the pistol in his pocket.

Nick reached out and grabbed the wolf's paws. "Better let me get it, old friend."

Wolford only nodded as Nick fished out a folded packet of what looked like several sheets of paper stapled together. He unfolded it and he couldn't believe what he was looking at.

Wolford confirmed his suspicions. "It's a list of everyone involved I have found so far. Names, addresses, back up safe houses and even the contingency plans. Their primary goal was to launch an attack on the ZPD itself, taking out all loyal officers and establishing themselves as the primary policing force for the city by using armored reptiles drugged on Night Howler. They wanted to retaliate against the prey population because of Bellwether's actions. Once that was done, they would have her killed in prison."

Nick turned to face him as he continued. "I discovered the plot the day after the explosion. Albalupus came to me with a plan for vengeance. After our conversation the night prior, I knew he was involved and I had to get closer. I couldn't go to the Chief or really anyone else. Judy was in the hospital unconscious and you were on the run. Even after Judy awoke, I wasn't sure how to bring up the subject. I felt it would be better if I just kept a close eye on her." His gaze shifted to the bunny with a smirk. "Not close enough, it seemed."

Nick stood silently staring at the wolf for quite some time before Wolford spoke again. "That night in the hospital, in the faculty showers...I meant every word I said Nick...the pin number for the door to the warehouse is six eight five three."

Nick stepped forward and removed the cuffs. Calvin reached out and helped the wolf to his feet. Wolford looked at the dragon with surprise. "Just like that?"

Calvin shrugged, "If Nick trusts you then so will I. You have no idea the kind of cop you have been dealing with there, Wolfy."

Wolford chuckled, "Why do I feel like that name is going to stick?"

Nick nodded to his team. "Alright, let's go."

The team moved swiftly and stacked up on the door leading into the back of the warehouse. Wolford mentioned it was the least guarded and offered the best chance for success. Calvin, and John took up positions on the opposite side of the door from Nick, Judy, and Wolford. Nick drew his lethal pistol and handed it to Wolford who checked it, making sure it was ready and nodded his thanks. Nick put his paw to his earbud. "Tranq team one, do you have visual on the guard on patrol?"

"Affirmative"

"Take him down."

A few moments passed. "Tango down. Sleep tight dirt bag."

Nick smiled to himself. "Heavy team get into position. We are going to head in and open the garage door as soon as we are inside."

Jack's voice buzzed back. "Understood, moving in. Good luck, _Commander._ "

Nick softly chuckled to himself, Jack was reliving his time in the special forces...but the name sounded intentional...emphasized. Nick punched in the number on the pin pad. There was a chime and a click as the door unlocked. Nick opened the door and went in first, checking left as Calvin came in right behind him checking right followed by Judy who went straight in and found cover behind some crates scanning the dark, as Wolford and John took up the rear. Whispered words of 'Clear' sounded much louder than they actually were, and filled Nick with relief. He nodded silently to his team as they moved through the warehouse trying to get to the controls to the garage door.

Wolford came next to him. "Be advised, there are about 30 mammals in this place including myself and the guard outside."

Judy's hip throbbed and felt wet on her side. She knew she was bleeding again, but she had to continue. She couldn't let it slow her down now. They moved swiftly into a position looking into the garage where a large box truck sat. They spotted Albalupus yelling at a gathered group of mammals and reptiles, and although the words were lost in the echo, she knew it had to do with their efforts. In this moment of calm as they scanned the area, Judy made sure she wasn't being watched by anyone on the team. When she was sure it was safe she drew a syringe from her pouch and pushed the needle through her uniform into her hip. The numbing solution washed over the open wound and relief soon came at last, while the throbbing subsided. She couldn't let Nick see she was in pain, that she was bleeding again; she needed to have his back. She wouldn't lose him now, after all they had been through.

They waited what seemed like hours before the opportunity presented itself and the team bounded over in a pair and a trio, taking cover as they went trying to avoid detection the whole way. A few tense moments passed as a guard stood feet away from them, checking his phone as he grumbled to himself about the stuck up wolf he worked for. The tiger finally moved away still typing on his phone with his rifle slung across his back. Nick nodded and Judy bolted for the door controls. She got there, located the correct lever, and slammed it open.

"Hey! Bunny! Who are you, what are-" The tiger's words cut short by a dart to the neck fired by John. The sound of the garage door opening got everyone's attention and they all watched it.

What was revealed on the other side of the door left their mouths hanging open. There stood Jack in his bloodied armor, rotary cannon in claw, flanked by two ballistic shields all showing pockmarks from battle while another pair of animals stood behind, rifles drawn and barrels between the shields and Jack.

Jack drew a breath and shouted, "KNOCK KNOCK DIRT BAGS!" His cannon began to spin up and a fraction of a second later, it began spewing darts into the crowd. They dispersed and found cover but one unfortunate sapp found himself darted numerous times and fell to the floor. Gunshots rang out as bullets pinged off the shields and armor. Chaos ensued.

Judy was brought back to her senses by a round striking the controls next to her head, showering her in sparks. She heard Nick call out her name as she dropped to the floor and crawled over to a stack of crates shielding her from fire. The weapon's fire drowned out any chance of verbal communication from this distance. She locked eyes on him, breathing heavily from the shock. The look on his face was pure fear. He put his paw to his ear and a moment later his voice filled hers. "Judy! Are you okay?"

She put her paw to her bud. "I'm fine Nick, but I can't get to you."

He nodded and started speaking again. There was a short delay, then his voice again - "Stay there, I'm coming to you."

Judy shifted her gaze to the floor between them and saw puffs of masonry as rounds skipped off and impacted the wall. "Nick, No! There's no way! Leave me here! I'm fine!"

Heedless of her words, Nick motioned to the fire team and they all at once peaked over the crates and began to return fire. As they did, the enemies shifted their attention and gave Nick the chance he needed. He bolted towards her. Judy's ears fell as she felt like time slowed to a standstill watching him running, crouched low, rifle in paw. Rounds began to skip off the pavement near him again as he slid in behind the crates with her. He quickly looked over the crates, rifle shouldered and snapped off a few rounds before ducking again, his eyes locked onto hers as his paws gently gripped the sides of her face. "Judy, are you hurt anywhere?"

She brought her paws up to his and gripped them. "I'm fine Nick, really. It was just a close call."

He brought her into his embrace and squeezed, pulling her close to his chest. "Don't do that to me, Carrots. _Ever_..."

Wolford joined them, crouching low. "Hate to break this up but we've got a new problem. Doug is on the second story near the main office and he's armed with an air rifle. He is specifically targeting us. John almost got hit but that dragon pushed him out of the way and took the hit. Right pissed him off too."

Nick broke the embrace,shouldered his rifle again and risked a look, glancing up as quick as he could and ducking back down as a blue ball zinged by and splattered harmlessly on the wall. He quietly cursed. Wolford looked like he had an idea. "If I peek up first and take a shot at him, you should be free to take him down." The wolf then paused and sighed deeply. "Judy, if I get hit, you need to tranq me. Have your pistol ready."

She nodded. Satisfied, Wolford nodded to Nick and looked over the crate and leveled his pistol. Almost instantly Nick had his rifle up next to him and fired. They both dropped back down as they heard the impact of another blue ball. This one hit the crate right by Wolford and when Nick looked at him, there were flecks of blue that marred his fur. And his breathing was becoming shallow and rapid...

 **AN: Uh oh...Wolford is having a hard time right about now isn't he? Sorry to leave you on the cliffhanger! Originally this was all meant to be one chapter but it quickly became far too long and it had to be split up a bit. Scary that it didn't really make the chapters any shorter either. So, Chapter 13 is coming up next, make sure that you give Falcon some love too for his hard work and thank you so much for reading and your continued support!**

 **Travel Well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13 Dead Partner

**AN: Here we go folks, hard hitting chapter here! Our heroes finally confront the two ZPD 1 officers who incited this plot! Huge thanks to AngloFalcon and ZNN and all the staff there! Enjoy folks!**

 **Also a good song to listen to here is "This is how you bring me back to life" (Extreme Music) It must have been what I was listening to while writing.**

 **Chapter 13**

Dead Partner

Quickly Nick peaked over the crates to see the ram slumped over on the catwalk and completely still. Albalupus and Delgato ran past the body and took refuge in the office. He redirected his attention to Wolford.

Wolford's eyes were locked on the wall in front of him, his back against the crates, paws clutching the pistol tightly. His breathing was coming in rapid short gulps, and his pupils were shrinking. The wolf's lips began to curl back, revealing teeth. Nick placed a paw on the his friend's shoulder. "Hey, bud, are you with us?" Out of the corner of his vision, he could see Judy begin to level her pistol on the lupine.

Wolford raised a paw off his own pistol and started to speak through short bursts. "I'm not...going savage...I have...some control still. Not a full dose...Go on without...me for now...will catch up when...I can."

Judy crouched over and took Wolford's pistol from his iron grip and replaced it with her own tranq gun. "Look at me Wolford. If you feel yourself slipping, use this."

He nodded to her. "Thanks...Hopps...Now go!"

Nick and Judy waited for a moment for the timing to be perfect and jumped across the hail of bullets back to John and Calvin. Judy saw that Calvin's muscles bulged and there was dribble leaking from his mouth and a blue spatter on his neck. His focus was on his targets and he peeked up in regular intervals, snapping off a few shots before ducking back behind the cover.

John got her attention with a wave. He had to shout over the sound of gunfire. "The heavy team had to pull back! They ran out of darts. The rest of our team are holding position outside, keeping everyone pinned down in here." He sighed deeply before continuing. "Everyone is running out of darts, so we are resorting to live ammunition."

She nodded in understanding and looked over at Calvin who had a crazed look in his eye. "How are you holding up with the Night Howler, Cal?"

His head twitched in her direction, eyes crazed. "I HATE it! Makes me feel jittery and my scales itch. I just want to pull someone's head off or something!"

Judy nodded and looked to Nick. He was firing his rifle at an animal who had an automatic weapon trained on them. The muzzle flashes highlighted the look in his eyes, and the determination on his face. Teeth bared slightly as the white canines shimmered with each flash - a primal image of ferocity. He wasn't the same as he had been a few weeks ago, and she felt as though they were losing themselves. They were cops, not soldiers. Not meant for this kind of battle. But they had no choice but to press on; the end of it was so very close by.

John tapped her shoulder, bringing her attention to the wolf. "Judy, we need to get you and Nick to the office. Take out the leaders and the rest may crumble."

Judy nodded to him. John tapped Nick on the shoulder and motioned him to fall into place, then nudged Calvin. "Cal and I will lay down some suppressing fire for you to get across. We will be right behind you after that. Ready? GO!"

Cal and John jumped up, submachine guns blazing as casings littered the floor around their feet. Nick slung his rifle and grabbed Judy, carrying her in his arms and bolted towards the stairs and slid into cover by an old car. He put her down and pulled out his rifle as Judy drew her pistol. They looked over at John and Cal who were exchanging magazines for fresh ones. They looked up, giving them a nod signaling that they were ready.

Nick and Judy sprang into action firing well aimed shots at anyone still peeking over cover. Their guns were not automatic so they had to make the shots count. The dragon got up first, followed by John. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but a round tore through John's knee, dropping him to the floor with a yelp in full view of the suspects. Calvin heard him fall and skidded to a stop, looking back at the wolf, blood smearing the floor as the canine tried to crawl to cover. Rounds impacted all around the wolf, sending dust up in the air. Calvin rushed back to the wolf and scooped him up as quickly as he could and ran back towards Nick and Judy. Judy watched all this in horror, especially as she saw a bullet tear into Calvin's ribs. His shirt was ripped by the impact and blood spurted into the air in a fine mist. The dragon didn't even flinch but kept running even as another round tore into his thigh. He made it back to the car they were taking cover behind and set John down as he whimpered quietly.

Calvin slid down the wall opposite of them with a grin on his face, and blood smeared down the wall with him. John just stared at the dragon in amazement. "You could have gotten yourself killed! What were you thinking?"

Calvin blinked slowly with the smile never leaving his face. "I was thinking of my wounded friend who really needed help...Worth it."

John grimaced as he switched to sitting against the wall with Calvin and began checking the injury to his ribs. "Judy, do you still have that laminated map of the docks and the suture kit?"

She dug out the requested items and handed them to the wolf. He tore open Calvin's shirt to get to the gunshot wound better as he took a segment of the map and placed it against the bubbling injury. Then he took out the surgical tape and sealed it completely. He looked around for a moment, digging through the kit.

Judy watched in fascination while the Team started to push into the building, forcing the animals that were shooting at them to focus elsewhere. The doe had to ask. "John, what are you looking for?"

He never stopped searching as he responded. "A pen or needle of some sort. His lung is punctured and air is leaking into his chest cavity. I sealed it so air pressure outside won't collapse it but if I don't find a way to release the internal pressure, it will collapse anyway."

Judy pulled out another syringe and handed it to the wolf. "What about this?"

He looked back, a smile creeping on his face, "Its perfect! Good call Judy!"

Still grunting with pain, he dug out a pair of medical gloves and tore the pad tip off and set it down. Then pulled the plunger out of the syringe and emptied the liquid cleaning it with alcohol before taping one side of the glove to the open end of the syringe, forming a one way valve. He then put the needle between Calvin's ribs and a hissing noise escaped as he inhaled, but no noise when he exhaled. John looked up into Calvin's face, "How's that feel Cal?"

The dragon smiled. "Much better actually. Hows your leg?"

John laughed. "Hurts like hell but I'll be fine." He turned to the pair of cops. "Get going you two. I still have my gun and will cover you as you go."

Judy turned to Nick and, with a nod, they sprinted up the stairs to the second story. No one even bothered to take a pot shot at them as they went, they were all too distracted by the numerous forces pouring into the building through the door, and since the controls had been hit, they had no way to close them.

The partners looked over the scene of carnage from the second floor. Bodies littered the floor, some dead or dying, others lying on the floor moaning due to paralysis muddling their motions. They had completely run out of darts except for the pistol Judy gave to Wolford. Easily 15 mammals lay on the floor, less than half of them motionless in a pool of their own blood. Judy could see that there were blood streaks going in the direction of the garage door, a clear indicator of the dead or injured being pulled from the fight. She wondered how many of their mixed team of mammals and reptiles still drew breath.

They finally got to the door of the office and Nick placed his ear against the surface for a few seconds before looking at Judy and shrugging. He couldn't hear anything on the other side. Her ears fell back as she pulled the slide of the pistol back half-way to make sure there was a round ready to go as Nick put in a fresh magazine into his rifle.

Nick put a sweaty paw on the door handle and quickly opened it and swept his rifle around the room looking for targets. Desks, chairs and a large pile of crates were all the awaited him. Not much to the room, but it extended further than they had originally noticed. They began to creep inside, taking careful steps as they went, weapons constantly scanning the room for any movement. The lights cut out suddenly. Nick's eyes started to adjust immediately but he knew Judy's would not, so he turned to cover her. In that moment a baseball bat connected with his rifle, sending it across the room. Before he could react, a second swing caught him in the left shoulder, dropping him to the floor. There was a muzzle flash from Judy's handgun and in the light, Nick saw Albalupus with the bat, and in the darkness that followed he saw the round impact the white wolf directly in the throat.

Judy felt her throat go dry and her fur stand on end as she heard the wolf crumple to the floor. She could dimly see him thrashing about on the floor holding his throat, making gasping, gurgling noises as he struggled to breathe. She started to go to him, not wanting anyone to die like that but Nick grabbed her arm while still lying on the floor. "Judy no, he has a knife! He would kill you just to do it."

Instead, she helped Nick off the floor. After a moment of watching the wolf slowly stop moving, Nick said some of the most terrifying words she had ever heard him say. "Where's Delgato?"

"Right here!"

With a strike from a pipe, Judy's pistol flew out of her paws, leaving them throbbing from the sudden impact. Nick delivered the lion a swift uppercut to the groin before scooping Judy up and bolting for the door. Nearly there, Judy heard a gunshot and Nick fell, dropping her just inches away from it.

Nick felt the impact in his lower back and blood form as his legs went out from under him as he fell, and all he could think to do was to get Judy as close to the door as he could. With all of his strength he threw her towards it. She landed close enough for her to get out.

Nick shouted, "Judy, go! Get out of here!"

She stood up, standing in the doorway with a look of terror on her face, clearly not wanting to leave Nick to die.

"GO! HE'S RIGHT THERE!"

Before she could move, Delgato grabbed her arm and tossed her back inside the room next to him. The lion closed the door and turned the lights back on. He barred the door with his pipe and turned to the two mammals lying on the floor. Judy looked back and Nick knew what she was looking at. She moved to grab the pistol but a bullet striking her leg stopped her.

Nick screamed at the top of his lungs, "JUDY!" He turned his attention to the lion. "DELGATO! I SWEAR ON MY LIFE, I'LL KILL YOU!"

The lion smiled at him. "Wilde, you are just a bonus prize for me tonight. My real target is Hopps. That being said.." He grabbed Judy and dragged her over to a heater in the room and cuffed her to it as she whimpered in pain from the gunshot wound in her thigh. "I think I'll make you watch, as I kill your partner. Then once he is lying in a pool of his own blood, and you have watched the light in his eyes leave for good...then I think I'll finish you off."

He turned to leave her there alone, her doubts and fears running rampant. She could only think of one word - "Why?"

Nick had been crawling over to Judy's pistol, leaving a bloody smear in his wake, but Delgato placed his foot in the middle of Nick's back, halting his progress.

"Why you ask? I have been in the department for many years and have never been recognized for anything. Then along comes this stupid floppy-eared bunny who busts the biggest case of the century. Not to mention the media storm that followed your botched interview. My partner was shot dead in his cruiser that very day by a prey mammal. All thanks to you and your mouth. I held Officer Howleski as he died."

He kicked Nick over onto his back and held his pistol pointed at the fox's chest while standing over him. "I watched my partner die that day and now...you get to watch yours die."

Nick looked the lion in the eye with pure fury and defiance, while propping himself up on one elbow. "You're a real winner. You know that, pal?"

The lion scowled. "You talk too much."

The gunshot rang out in Nick's ears as he felt the round impact his ribs and tear through his flesh. He let his body fall back against the concrete as the world went black from the pain but came back into focus shortly after. There was the pistol, smoke flowing out of the barrel. Nick felt blood welling up on his uniform and breathing became difficult. He tried to take a deep breath but the ragged noise and wet coughing told him that was not going to work well. After his coughing fit, he tasted blood and heard Judy screaming in the corner.

The lion smiled, pleased with himself. "Oh, now that felt good. It was good for me Hopps. Was it good for you?"

Nick heard her shout. "You're a psychopath! You sick disgrace! Leave him alone!"

Delgato looked over at Judy, pistol never moving off of Nick. "Oh, you want me to leave him alone? Sure. No problem. I'm just disarming myself to be arrested, one round at a time."

There was another gunshot. Again in the chest. Nick gasped for air as blood welled up in his throat. He could hear Judy screaming in the corner incoherently as the lion leaned over and grabbed Nick by his shirt collar and pulled him up. He rested the muzzle of the pistol against his head. It was warm from the shots fired. "And now we come to the end of your pathetic life, Nick."

Nick spat his blood into Delgato's face and spoke through a grimace, "That's...Officer Wilde..to you, asshole."

Delgato stood up and leveled his gun at Nick's head.

This is it, this is how it all ends...I hope I made you proud Judy, I'll wait for you.

The world slowed to a standstill. His ragged breath drew in with sharp pain, and brought with it so many memories of his life. He felt nothing for most of the passing memories but when it got to one particular day at one particular ice cream joint...he felt his lips curl into a smile. Judy...that was the day he met her. The little bunny of gray fur and determined violet eyes that changed his life forever. He thought hard if he regretted his decisions leading up to this moment but could only come up with a resounding no. Given the chance, he would change nothing. He let his last breath out as the world slow seemed to come back to speed. Now he just mentally braced for the final round and locked his eyes with Delgato's.

Suddenly the lion was knocked off his feet by something in blue. Nick looked over to find Wolford on the floor with the lion, growling savagely as he was gripping the struggled on the floor but with Wolford being the martial arts expert and on Night Howler, the traitor officer really didn't stand a chance. With a sickening crunch and roar from the lion, Wolford snapped Delgato's wrist and stole the pistol away. Pure rage filled the wolf's eyes as he shoved the gun into Delgato's mouth smashing his teeth along the way. Judy screamed something about not killing him. Wolford's expression never changed with contracted pupils and eyes burning like a wild fire as he spoke, "See you in hell!"

There was an audible pop and Delgato's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell still. Wolford pulled the pistol out of the lion's jaws, blood and spittle following but when he stood, Nick saw a second gun in the wolf's other paw and a dart in the lion's chest. He had been tranquilized, not shot.

The wolf quickly freed Judy and carried her over to Nick as he lay in a growing pool of blood. Judy was let down and laid against a desk behind her as she cradled Nick's head on her chest and began to stroke his ears. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she looked him over. Wolford was already ripping open Nick's shirt, trying to slow the bleeding.

He quickly reached over and took Nick's earbud out of his ear and shouted into it. "We need immediate medical assistance in the office on the second floor! Officer Wilde is down! I repeat Officer Wilde is down. He's CRITICAL! Send help NOW."

Judy watched in horror as the blood continued to seep out of the two small holes in his chest, marring his fur and pooling on the cold concrete floor. One paw continued to stroke his ears as the other rested on his upper chest as she pulled him in tighter, feeling his body beginning to grow cold.

Nick smiled at the wolf, voice rattling as blood collected in his throat. "Tell me...about your first partner..bud."

Wolford continued to put pressure on Nick's injuries as his ears fell. "Is this really the time?"

Nick chuckled prompting a new flow of blood from his mouth that dribbled onto his chest, and over Judy's arm. "Probably the...only time."

Wolford sighed. "It was my fifth year on the force. We were chasing an animalnapper who had his hostage with him. The chief ordered us into the building to save the hostage. My partner and I never even questioned it. We were the ones who had been chasing him for the last five minutes as back up was still coming. Chief Bogo didn't want it to become a stand-off. The animalnapper was a fox, as was his hostage. The hostage was his son and he was losing a custody battle. We both understood the risks and went in. We climbed several stairs until we heard a door slam shut at the top. My partner was first to the door and I was right behind him. No sooner had he put his paw on the door knob," Wolford's eyes filled with tears as he took a deep breath, "than bullets ripped through the door. My partner was shot three times in the chest and once in the head. I took two in the chest and fell back with my partner. I looked into his dead eyes and lost everything I was in that moment. The wolf I had been before that moment died with my partner. I got dragged out screaming his name, begging him to wake up..."

Nick nodded, slowly understanding, "What was...his name?"

Wolford shuddered as his tears came freely along with Judy's. "Tommy Wolford...my younger brother."

Nick patted Wolford's paw with his own. "I'm sorry...Wolford."

"William...my name is William, Nick."

Nick smiled as the room started to go dark, paws growing cold, losing all feeling in his cooling body. "William Wolford...Nice ring to it." Nick took a deep breath before continuing, "Carrots?"

"I'm here Nick, I'm here."

"Do you remember our promise? I think you have to fulfill it...continue the fight."

Judy couldn't believe what was happening right now. She just couldn't bring herself to accept it. She gripped his paw and felt how cold it was, no hint of return pressure. "You're not supposed to be the animal I held as he died. Nick, don't go!"

His paw came up and found her face as he cupped her cheek. "I know, Carrots...I know...I'm sorry."

She sniffed back the choking emotions. "Don't apologize. What are you apologizing for?"

He smiled. "For not...telling you sooner...I love you. More than anything."

She cried harder and spoke through ragged breaths. "I love you too, Nicholas Wilde, just don't go!"

She watched his sightless eyes begin to glass over from blood loss as he spoke. "I'll wait...for you. For you Judy...it was...all...worth it."

His eyes glassed leaving not the emerald green but rather a dull tint and he stopped moving. Blood still trickled from his wounds but Judy could feel him growing colder. He was unresponsive, and nothing but dead weight. Judy screamed out at him, cupping the sides of his face with her paws. "Nick! No no no don't go! You can't! NICK!"

Four animals rushed into the room dressed in paramedic uniforms and one pulled Judy away as she screamed out his name. The other three frantically worked on Nick, shaving the gunshot wounds and sealing them as best they could while starting chest compressions. Kicking and screaming, Judy was carried down the stairs and out of the warehouse to a waiting ambulance and gurney.

The panther carrying her set her down on the gurney and looked her in the eyes. "Officer Hopps, you need to calm down. We will do everything we can for him, but you are wounded and losing an alarming amount of blood! We need to get you fixed up."

Judy didn't want to hear that and she kicked at the panther with her one good leg only to be turned around and brought into a tight hug. There she let all of her emotions run free as the tears soaked the uniform that cradled her tightly. Tears streamed without end but she found herself wondering who it was she sobbed on. Whoever it was shared in her tears and she could feel him shaking in his own sobs. She looked up and, for a moment, her heart stopped. It was Chief Bogo, holding onto her, sharing in her sorrow. New tears came and she sat there with her commanding officer crying over a dying fox.

 **AN: Well...I'm just going to say that you need the next chapter to find out about how Nick is doing...and Judy. However the district is free, the corruption is gone...the Canals are free! Next chapter coming soon!**

 **Thanks to all of ZNN's staff for getting my story published there, as well as all the hard work of my editor-in chief AngloFalcon. My dedicated readers and fantastic reviewers. You are all fantastic and thank you all for sticking with me this far! We only have two more chapters and an epilogue to go. Then on to the sequel but with a small break first. Gotta let Falcon breathe a little!**

 **Thanks again and Travel Well!**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14 Canals General Hospital

**AN: Here we are folks. The battle for survival is detailed in this chapter as well as a few surprises and revelations. Enjoy the chapter folks, and thanks for reading my story! Thanks again to the Editor in Chief!**

 **Chapter 14**

Canals General Hospital

Judy found herself staring at the ceiling of the ambulance. The fur on her face felt tacky from tears, although they no longer flowed as before. She was being tended to by a thin Sailfin water lizard. Her delicate claws worked on stemming the flow of blood from Judy's thigh and hip. The doe knew she was in a terrible state and fought to stay conscious. She knew if she closed her eyes, all she would see is Nick lying in her arms, bleeding to death. The cold weight of his body haunted her. She tried to focus on something, anything that would keep her thoughts from that. The night that she slept on the floor with him, his warmth feeding her soul, the feel of his fur, his scent...his scent. Now she could only smell his blood. Despite her best efforts her eyes rolled into the back of her skull and she slipped into the black brought on by blood loss.

* * *

Judy stood in a field of knee-high wild flowers. The air was crisp and warm with a gentle breeze making the flowers wave at her in greeting. A familiar scent on the air encouraged her to start walking. She padded through the flowers, following that smell until she found a small stream that bubbled peacefully. The water was clean and she could see right to the bottom while the trees in the area deposited a few leaves on the surface to be carried away by the current. She looked upstream and found a familiar figure reclining against a tree. One leg upon his knee and foot tapping in the air to some silent tune. Red fur, buttoned up tropical shirt and purple striped tie. She started walking towards him feeling a smile creep to her face as she stood over him. His sunglasses were covering his eyes.

"Hey, Slick."

Nick lowered his shades with his smirk and charm radiating on his face. "Carrots," he said, almost a purr. He opened an arm and she settled down in his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder and paw on his chest. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sounds and sensations. The Bubbling creek, leaves blowing in the air and the scent of wild flowers...

After a few minutes of silence,Nick purred to her. "You were fantastic, by the way."

She opened her eyes as her smile fell away, but she didn't move, "What do you mean?"

"Freeing the district, the docks, the research facility. Freeing those hatchlings, and especially the warehouse! You were marvelous. Everyone should have someone like you. Yup, the whole package!"

She sat up and looked into his deep emerald eyes. The were like gems, so clear and bright. "You were too. You saved my life more than I care to admit, Nick!"

The fox laughed. "I was, wasn't I? Can you believe Wolford's first name is William? That was fantastic!"

Judy laughed and laid back down. "You really love me?"

Nick chuckled "More than anything...just like I said."

Judy's face fell as she thought for a minute. "What happens now?"

He looked up, frowning as the sky darkened with clouds and the wind picked up. "Now? Now you go back, Fluff."

Judy sat up and grabbed his shirt tightly in her paw as tears began to form in her eyes. "Come with me, Nick. Don't make me keep that promise!"

He put his paws pad up in a shrugging motion. "I'm trying, Judy. I want nothing more than to keep you out of that promise...to hold you again."

She didn't bother to stop the tears as lightning broke the sky. "Then _stop_ talking about it and do it already!"

Nick's stood up, dropping his shades and walked to the edge of the stream where he gazed at the water for a moment. He turned his head to look at her. "I can't go back to nothing, Judy. The doctors are trying everything...I...I love you...never forget that."

* * *

Judy's eyes snapped open, looking at a paneled ceiling. There was a steady beeping noise coming from a heart monitor and the room smelled of alcohol. She turned her head and saw a pair of blood bags feeding into her arm. One was already empty. There was light filtering in through the closed blinds. She turned her head to see a pair of officers sleeping in the corner of her room. One was Fangmeyer and the other Chief Bogo. He had a book in his lap, and Fangmeyer had taken over the desk with her sketches. Judy tired to speak but her tongue was thick from medications and her voice was hoarse. Her chest hurt badly too. Sitting up wasn't an option. She tried speaking again but only a moan came out. Chief Bogo instantly woke up looking at her. Seeing her awake, he roused Fangmeyer and brought over a stool to sit next to her. She saw two things in the buffalo's eyes that she was unaccustomed to seeing, compassion and worry.

Bogo put his hoof on her arm and spoke softly. "Good to see you awake, Hopps. We lost you a few times there."

She only had one thing on her mind however, having a hard time forming words she mouthed 'Nick'

Chief Bogo looked at Fangmeyer who started to cry. He looked back at Judy. "They are still trying, Hopps. They have stopped the bleeding His body is still in shambles but he's not losing any more blood, however..." He sighed deeply and settled into a long blink. He opened his eyes as he continued, "they can't keep his heart going. They say it might be that his body had been under too much stress both emotional and physical."

Tears began to flow into her pillow as she mouthed 'How long'.

"They have been at it ten hours."

Tears streamed without control as the heart monitor began to beep faster and faster. Bogo felt dread standing over him as he rushed to the door of the room yelling for a nurse. A pair of Nile monitors came running into the room. They immediately plugged a syringe into Judy's IV line and pushed the plunger down. The beeping slowed and Judy's pained expression relaxed as she slipped to sleep.

One of the monitors turned to Bogo, concern on her face. "What happened?"

Bogo began to explain and was harshly admonished for telling her about Nick's predicament.

"She is in ICU, and visiting hours are over," the monitor stated flatly. "Time for you two to leave. You can't just put that kind of stress on someone who just woke. Have a nice night Chief Bogo, Officer Fangmeyer."

Judy cracked open an blurry eye and saw a flurry of activity next to her. Easily eight animals working on one patient. She couldn't see who they were working on but when one moved she saw him. His eyes were taped shut, tubes running down his throat and numerous lines and fluid bags hanging around the bed. His heart monitor let out a monotonous, continuous tone. She held out her paw in his direction as tears began to well and whispered to him, "Come back, Nick." Her eyelids were too heavy and slid closed as she heard the monitor start beeping again. "How long can we keep bringing him back, Doctor?" There was a pause before a different voice replied "As long as he keeps coming back."

Judy slipped to sleep.

* * *

The sounds of rain outside her window woke Judy. The drapes had been closed but the soft light coming in the gaps of fabric told her it was day time. She sighed deeply and smelled a familiar scent. She rolled her head to her right and saw Nick in a bed next to her. He looked as bad as the last time she saw him but at least he wasn't surrounded by doctors this time. Even though he looked awful, it brought some comfort seeing him, knowing he was still alive. She slowly sat up hearing her own heart monitor speed up slightly as she moved. Her body hurt all over, as if she got into a fight with bat wielding thugs...especially her chest. She tried to swing her legs out of the bed but found that her left leg snagged on the sheets. When she reached down, her paw rested on a cast. The door opened and a panther strolled in. She stopped dead in her tracks seeing Judy sitting up in her bed.

Surprise was written in her voice as she spoke in a soft tone, "Officer Hopps! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

Judy swallowed hard, throat feeling very dry. "Like I was beaten to a pulp."

The nurse came over and checked all of the machines as she made easy conversation. "Well you flat lined a few times. When CPR is used, it usually ends up with broken ribs or bruised at least. You have four bruised ribs from that experience. The pain should clear up soon though."

Judy nodded and looked over at Nick. The nurse saw it. "He's not out of the woods yet, but his heart has been going for a week now. We put him in a medically induced coma to help his body minimize stress and focus on healing." Seeing how Judy stared at the fox, the nurse continued, "We hope to take him out of the coma in a few days. It's good you are awake though; there are visitors in the waiting room eager to see you! They will let them up in a few minutes. I just have to finish my checks."

Judy watched the nurse as she checked Nick's machines, scribbling notes as she went. She finished and left the room with a parting smile at Judy. Her eyes drifted around the room until they met the table on the left side of the room. She had never seen so many flowers. There was barely a table to be seen beneath them all. They actually had to bring two tables in to hold them all. On the floor Judy spotted a single leaf, one the nurses had missed as they cleaned. It was dried and shriveled up. A week should not have done that. She wondered how long she had been out.

The door opened and a wolf peaked inside. Seeing her awake his eyes widened and a smile worked its way across his muzzle. Judy smiled at her friend, "John! Please come in!"

The wolf nodded. "I have a few more guests with me,"

The door opened as John stepped in with a cane supporting his weight. Calvin followed with his own cane and the guests just kept coming. Robin and Doris, from the diner, Sierra, Sampson, and Wolford. While many stood around Judy and spoke to her, she noticed Wolford stood next to Nick, staring at the fox with one paw on his shoulder. They chatted for about a half hour before they left to continue their day expressing how glad they were that she was awake, leaving only Wolford sitting on a stool speaking with Judy.

"How long have we been here Wolford?"

He thought to himself for a moment. "A little more than a month."

She lost herself in thought over that. Wolford saw her mind's wheels turning and thought she needed a distraction. "I have something special to show you. I think you will like it." He grabbed his pawset and spoke into it. "Come meet your Heroes, Rookie"

Judy cocked an eyebrow, "Rookie?"

He smiled at her. "You'll see."

The door opened and there stood a young fox, his fur more crimson than anything in a newly cleaned and pressed ZPD uniform. His eyes were the deepest of blue and shined with eagerness, while his position of attention was flawless. Wolford looked at Judy, "May I present to you, Officer Tommy Reynarks. My new partner."

The young officer looked at her, wonder in his eyes. "Officer Hopps, I request permission to enter."

She waved the young fox inside, a smile on her face. "Please come in."

The newly minted officer stood at the foot of her bed, the rigidness of his training still fresh in his mind, not letting him relax.

Wolford looked over at him. "At ease officer, you are among friends, not drill instructors."

He turned his attention back to Judy with a grin. "You ready for his story?"

She nodded never losing her smile. Wolford hadn't had a real partner in years, from her understanding.

"Well, do you remember the story I told you in the warehouse? The animalnapper and his hostage?"

"Yes, I remember quite clearly."

He nodded to the fox standing behind him. "This is the hostage."

Reynarks spoke for himself as he finally began to relax...but only a little. "My father was not a bad animal, but desperate. I was there as he killed a police officer. When he realized what he had done, he broke down into tears. He begged me to not be like him. He told me to strive to be better, to be trustworthy, to be brave and face down the doubters and prove them wrong, and lastly he begged for my forgiveness. I joined the ZPD to do that and more. I want to make amends for his wrongs."

Judy smiled at Wolford. "Did you request to have this new officer assigned to you?"

He shook his head. "No, I _insisted_ upon it. Chief Bogo will say I demanded it."

Judy looked back at the fox, who was beaming with pride at being spoken of so highly. "Do you know the name Wolford? Tommy Wolford?"

The fox's ears fell back as he looked to his partner. "I don't know a Tommy Wolford, only my partner, but his first name starts with a W."

Wolford stood up and put his paw on the new officer's shoulder. "Tommy Wolford was my brother...he was also my first partner and he died on the day we went in to rescue a small fox...that fox's name? It was Tommy Reynarks."

The young officer looked like he wanted to cry at hearing this. Wolford simply pulled the fox into his chest and let him cry, clearly holding back emotions of his own. "It's alright partner, let it go. I requested you because I knew what kind of officer a fox can make and I already knew you. Let it all go."

The fox sniffled heavily as he spoke. "All of those years I wanted to meet the officer who lost his partner. Here I am, for a month never knowing it...you're a hero to me, always have been. Why have you been so fair with me? My father killed your brother!"

Wolford pushed the fox back to stand on his own and shook his shoulders gently as he looked the new officer in the eye. "I chose you because we both had healing to do and only we can heal each other. You're a good kid and shouldn't be punished for your father's crimes. It took years and a fox cop to show me that. In time I think you will make a great cop. Now let's get out and let Officer Hopps get some rest."

The pair departed, and Wolford gave a quick nod to Judy as he left. The door closed and she found herself looking at Nick. "When you wake up, there is quite the story waiting for you."

She felt a strong urge, one that she couldn't easily brush away. She swung her legs out of bed and slowly let herself down to the floor. Putting weight on her cast hurt, so she hobbled around to the window side of her bed and clicked off the wheel lock with her cast and slowly pushed her bed over towards Nick until they met, clicking the lock back into place. The power cables for her machines were stretched out but still plugged into the wall safely. She climbed back up into her bed and draped her covers over Nick's, pulling his up so she could touch his fur. Then the doe scooted over as far as she could without lying on the gap and found his paw. She held it in hers and felt something she had been longing to feel since that night in the warehouse. She felt warmth. Her eyes slipped shut and she fell into a very deep sleep.

* * *

Judy awoke to silence. There was no heart monitor beeping, no breathing machines...just silence. She was quite comfortable in her bed, it being so very warm. She stretched out her paws and felt fur next to her. Glancing over, she found Nick lying in the same bed with her. The bed was massive, likely built for an elephant but both her and Nick had been placed in it together. His eyes were no longer taped shut, there were no tubes down his throat and only two lines disappeared into his right arm. The luster to his fur was starting to come back and his breathing was in normal intervals. She felt herself being hypnotized by the steady rise and fall of his chest. She edged closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, gingerly placing her paw on his bandaged chest as her eyes began to droop with a single tear.

The door opened as the panther returned with a smile. "Good morning Officer Hopps. How are you feeling?"

Her eyes opened back up. "I'm doing much better now...How's Nick? He looks much better!"

The panther smiled weakly. "Well...we pulled him out of his medical coma a few days ago, but he hasn't woken up yet. His body has been healing well and all we can do is wait." The panther started to leave but stopped and turned to look at Judy with seriousness in her eyes. "His spine has healed nicely after the gunshot wound in his back, but we won't know if the damage has been healed until he wakes up. There is a chance he may not be able to regain full use of his legs again."

Judy's heart dropped. She felt the tears trying to break through, but held them back this time. "I understand. No matter what happens, I'll be here to help him through it." A moment passed before she continued. "And thanks for the joined bed...I know that this is...unusual to see. Has anyone from the ZPD seen us like this?"

The panther smiled. "Only one. His name was Wolford I believe. As for the bed, it was clearly needed since we saw how you had moved yours. We didn't want you hurting yourself moving it again so once Officer Wilde was stable, we made sure to move you two into a bed made for an elephant. Neither of you stirred even once when we moved you...I've heard the stories and seen the news. What you two did was incredible! Our eternal thanks go with you. I'll get you the newspapers from the past few weeks so you can read them at your leisure."

The nurse left Judy smiling as she settled back down on Nick's shoulder. She no longer smelled his blood. His body was warm, and the heart beating in his chest was like a metronome which started to lull her to sleep again. Her mind drifted to his legs and the possibility he wouldn't walk again...no, the doctor said 'full use', not that he wouldn't walk. There was hope, and right now, that was all she needed. She took his right paw in hers and laid them both on his chest,giving it a light squeeze. As she drifted to sleep she could swear she felt him gently squeeze back.

 **AN: This is the second to last chapter of Integrity Trust and Bravery. Thank you all so much for reading my story and to those who have been with me since the beginning, a very special thanks to you! Worry not dear readers, there are two more stories planned in this series! There will be a break so AngloFalcon can get to work on his own fiction (Hopefully). I have a few other stories that will start and come out in the meantime! Keep an eye out for them and thanks again!**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15 Road to Recovery

**AN: This is it folks! The final chapter of this story! It has been a fantastic journey for me, and all of you who have come along for the ride! I could not have done this without the help of some very special people who will be spoken of at the bottom. Remember! ITaB has a sequel already finished and ready for edits...the story continues! For now though...AngloFalcon gets a break...be free birb! Enjoy the final chapter!**

 **Chapter 15**

Road to Recovery

Nick struggled to wake up, eyelids still heavy. He sniffed the air. At least his nose still worked. _'Hmm, I smell a wolf...a fox...and a rabbit...but not just any rabbit...Judy.'_

He fought to open his eyes and when he finally managed they stung with what little light filtered into the room. They burned horribly. He could feel a weight on his shoulder and he slid his gaze over to his left shoulder and turned his head slowly to find Judy sleeping soundly next to him, her head being the weight he felt. The sight made him smile, and he was about to stroke her cheek but caught himself when he noticed two uniformed officers sitting in the corner. Squinting, he tried to focus on them, willing his eyes to work properly. Slowly they came into focus and he saw Wolford and a young fox sleeping. The fox had his head leaning against Wolford and the wolf's head rested against the wall, his paws folded into each other.

He tried to speak but only a rasp escaped. It was enough though as Wolford's head snapped down to look at Nick. The wolf's eyes widened as he saw Nick awake. Carefully he leaned the young fox against the other wall without waking him and grabbed a stool and came to sit next to Nick.

The wolf leaned in close with a smile on his muzzle. "Hey Wilde" he whispered, "how are you feeling?"

Nick smiled and rasped back, "Like I was caught in a stampede."

Wolford stifled a laugh. "You would've had an easier time surviving that."

Nick's eyes drooped a bit. "How's Judy?"

Wolford waved his paw, "She's fine. We lost her a few times too, but she pulled through just fine...no one here knew if you were going to make it though. The doctors fought for days, constantly bringing you back. Your heart wouldn't work on its own, and I don't think any of the blood in your body is actually yours after how much you bled the first ten hours of surgery."

Nick thought to himself. 'Days?' He looked Wolford in the eye. "How long have we been here?"

Wolford nodded in understanding at his request. "A month and a half, now. Judy is due to be released from the hospital in a few days. Chief Bogo has given her a new assignment that she needs to get started on."

Nick raised an eyebrow, frustration filling the back of his throat. "What? Assigned her to do what?"

Wolford made a chuckle at Nick's expense. "To take care of you, big guy. She is assigned to _you_. We have taken to calling it 'Wilde Duty'."

Nick smiled at him. "Jerk..." he chuckled, pausing to think for a moment. Something didn't add up. "Why would she need to take care of me? I'm doing better right?"

Wolford's expression changed and he cast his eyes downward. "This might not be easy to hear, and fur only knows I shouldn't be the one to tell you."

"Tell me William, please."

He sighed deeply and looked into the fox's eyes. "The first shot you took damaged your spine and left you paralyzed from the waist down. The docs have repaired the damage, but only you can tell us if it worked...can you...can you feel this?"

Wolford reached down and gripped Nick's foot as he asked. Nick's eyes widened with horror as he watched him squeeze his pads, but he felt so little of it. "I-I can...but only just barely."

The larger canine, for his part, smiled at Nick. "That is excellent news! They weren't sure you would regain any feeling at all! You know what this means right?"

Nick shook his head.

Wolford leaned in closer. "It means that you can work your ass off and recover!"

Nick chuckled and they sat in silence for a while. He looked over at the other fox still sleeping in the corner of the room. Wolford followed his gaze and when he looked back, he wore the most sincere smile Nick had ever seen on him, "That's my new partner - Tommy Reynarks. He is the fox I was sent in to save when my brother died. Fate would have it that his name is Tommy as well."

That got Nick thinking, and he rasped out, "What of my team, Wolford? How did they do? How many...did we lose?"

William sighed deeply. "I thought you might ask. I brought a list for you. Ten...ten didn't survive. Four reptiles and six mammals. Four of those mammals were from Mr. Big. There are some incredible stories to read in this list, Nick. They may have died, but they left a legacy of love and care for their fellow animals...you will be proud, Nick."

Wolford left a folded envelope on the bedside as he stood and roused the fox in the corner. "Come on kid, come meet a legend."

The fox shot up. "He's awake?"

Wolford raised a paw in Nick's direction, "See for yourself."

The fox approached the bed and smiled, locking eyes with Nick. He addressed him with a shaky voice. "Officer Wilde, sir, it's an honor to finally meet you, not just see you. My name is Officer Tommy Reynarks."

Nick smiled at the fox and inspected his uniform for a moment before speaking. His voice was slowly starting to come back. "Pleasure to meet you, Officer...although...I think you would look better with your sleeves rolled."

Wolford started to push the wide eyed fox out of the room laughing. "Alright Wilde, that's enough of that! We don't need the new guys getting any ideas. Good night Nick."

Nick could hear Reynarks saying "but it's a good idea!" as he was pushed out of the room. The door closed, leaving him with a smile on his face despite the news he had just received. His team...his legs. He put the envelope on the table next to him to read a bit later and turned his attention back to the sleeping rabbit. He thought of what would be the best way to wake her. She stirred slightly and moaned out a deep exhale as she slept. The fox's smile widened as he leaned over and kissed her head. With the sensation, the rabbit started to stir and he quickly laid his head back down, closed his eyes and tried to conceal his smile, doing his best to look asleep as he heard her awaken. Her paw searched out his and gave it a gentle squeeze when she found it. It took every ounce of the resolve he had not to squeeze back. Her other paw came to his face and he felt his head being pulled down onto hers as she gave him a light squeeze.

Judy gently mumbled, "Oh please, Nick, wake up soon. You have to come out of the coma."

 _'Coma?'_ Wolford neglected to mention that part. The worry in her voice made him feel guilty over his joke and he decided to end it. "I _am_ awake, Carrots."

Her head shot up, almost catching his chin to find him staring at her through his gem like green eyes. Wordlessly she threw her arms around him and gave him a long hug, as she started to cry. This time it was gentle, not the violent sobs he remembered from the warehouse. Nick patted her back gently as he smiled down at her.

"It's okay Judy, I'm here to stay. Looks like that promise will have to wait."

She pulled back to look into his eyes. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He thought to himself for a few moments before responding. "A...stream...you were there."

She smiled and hugged him tight. "I love you, Nicholas Wilde."

He squeezed her back and buried his face in her fur. "I love you too, Judy Hopps."

* * *

Physical therapy was hell. Nick tired to do all of the things they told him but he could only _slightly_ bend his toes, not even fully. They felt numb and useless, as if there was still an anesthetic keeping his nerves from doing their job. He almost stood up, but his knees wouldn't lock in place yet. The doctors seemed pleased with his first day, and Judy wheeled him back to his room with his therapist in tow. He was going over plans to get Nick some leg braces that would support his weight until his knees would function again.

Once inside the room, the therapist scrunched his nose. "Officer Wilde, next on the agenda is getting you cleaned up. Your stress is not good for easy breathing, my friend. I will fetch a nurse to help you with your bathing."

Judy looked at the lion with a smile. "I will help him out. Don't worry about sending a nurse."

The therapist looked between the two, deeply confused for a bit before Judy spoke. "Don't worry Doc, fur doesn't offend my sensibilities. I'll help him."

The lion's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "Wait...are you two...an item?"

Nick scooped up Judy's paw in his, and spoke in a teasing tone. "Why do you ask? Did you have your eye on her too? Well I say, no sir! She is indeed with me, thank you very much!"

The lion laughed and smiled at the unlikely pair. "Oh wow, you guys are too much really. I'm happy for you. Both of you deserve each other after the things you have done for this city. Everyone knows what kind of heroes you are. I'll leave his care to you, Officer Hopps."

The lion left them alone in the room smiling. Judy turned to Nick. "Alright, Slick, shirt off!"

Nick let out a mock groan. "Aw again?"

She laughed, "What are you complaining about? I'm the one who has to take off your pants!"

Nick shot her a smirk. "Yeah well...be gentle."

"And if I wasn't, you wouldn't feel too much of it anyway. Wasted experience," she teased back, as she started wheeling him into the bathroom. Nick realized how good she got him. "Oh ouch, good one Judy. I'll have to remember that one when I'm walking again."

Inside she helped him with his pants. He could only wiggle his toes. He couldn't even bend his knees on his own yet and it hurt Judy to see him like this. She locked his wheelchair in place and stood over him and started to help him up onto her shoulder to transfer him to the shower. "Alright Nick, here we go."

With one quick motion she had him up as they both wobbled for a moment before she set him down on the shower chair. "Whew, loose some weight, fatty!"

Nick laughed. "Hey, I work hard to maintain this girlish figure, ya know?"

Judy just nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm sure you do."

She turned on the shower with the nozzle pointed down until she got it to the right temperature. Once it felt right she diverted the flow onto Nick who let out a pleased groan.

"How's the water, Nick?"

Keeping his eyes closed he responded almost purring. "It's perfect...I haven't had a shower since...we fell asleep at the hotel." He giggled as he finished his sentence.

Judy stripped down and stepped in and sat cross legged on the shower floor and took his feet in her paws and started scrubbing. "The doctors said that it was important to stimulate the nerves in your legs and feet."

Nick sat and enjoyed the moment but his thoughts drifted to darker places. "Judy, what's going to happen if I can't perform my duties as a police officer?"

The rabbit kept scrubbing as she spoke. "Would it surprise you to know that Chief Bogo already has a plan for that?"

He looked down at her as she switched to his other foot. "Really? What did he say?"

"Well if it comes to that, we'll talk about it. Right now your focus is on therapy."

Nick chuckled. "You're killing me here, Fluff."

She started to massage his feet. "Sorry Slick, Bogo's orders."

Nick sat for a moment in silent contemplation, before smiling. "I can actually feel that you know? Not a whole lot, but better than the night Wolford squeezed my foot."

She looked up at him smiling, "The straight answer from the doctors is that at the very worst, you'll need something like braces or electrical support, or have a completely bum leg. At best, you'll have some nerve loss. You won't feel certain spots on your legs or feet. The very best they can reasonably hope for is a full recovery. You _will_ walk again, Nick."

Nick smiled at her widely as he watched her lovingly take care of him. Whatever it was she saw in him, he was glad she did. "What would I do without you?"

She started scrubbing his legs as he grabbed a second bush to wash his body. The doelaughed. "You would probably have some nurse in here. Likely an elephant ordering you around and teaching you how to clean yourself all over again."

Nick let out a hearty laugh at that. "Oh mom would be so proud!"

She smiled. "You never speak about your mother. Where is she?"

With a pause, the fox looked back down at her, a faint smirk on his face. "She died about three weeks before I met you. I had just gotten back to the city after her funeral."

Judy suddenly looked downcast and her ears drooped. "I'm sorry Nick...I didn't mean to."

He reached out and took her paws in his. "Judy, it's fine. I've moved on and honestly, life is good. Remember that stream? After you left, I got to chat with her for a bit. Trust me, everything's fine. She loves you by the way."

Judy smiled back at him and gave his paws a squeeze. "Alright Slick, let's get you dressed. Got a lot of work to do if you want to stand up at the memorial in two weeks."

Nick smiled as he leaned forward, "I _will_ stand."

* * *

The memorial was uncovered, the cloth falling away to reveal a fox in a ZPD uniform shaking the claw of a tree monitor in a business suit. On the statue's base read the words 'Herein are the names of the animals who stood fast and firm, a shining beacon of light in a world filled with darkness' followed by the 35 names that had been written in the book the night that the case finally came to an end. On the bottom it said 'Herein are the ones who gave their lives to achieve this bridge built between our societies. Blood as mortar, bodies as stone.' Under that there were ten names written. The same names on the paper Nick had with him at the podium, where he stood looking over a massive crowd in the heart of Zootopia. News cameras watched his every move and broadcast it all over the nation.

He cleared his throat, standing tall and proud, medals upon his chest, crutches within easy reaching distance, even though the knee braces under his uniform were locked in place.

"Thirty-five stood as one that night. There were no predators or prey, mammals or reptiles. There were brothers...sisters, mothers and fathers, never looking at the scales on their faces or fur on their bodies. They held each other up with pride, and cried together when one fell. Animals who had only known each other for mere hours forged the strongest bonds imaginable with a common goal. To right the wrongs, clean the corruption, end the misunderstandings. This statue shows what we are capable of, who we can truly be...if only we try. To quote my famous friend 'I implore you, try.'"

He looked down and shifted the pages before continuing.

"Ten animals died that day. Six mammals, and four reptiles. Let me share a few of their last moments with you. Vek Mar Slithermore stood fast against three armored reptiles drugged on Night Howler. Only reptiles fought these armored foes...'why?' you might ask. It was to keep their mammal friends safe from the effects of the drug. Deep underground in the tunnels beneath the city, he died. However, he didn't die alone. I was there to comfort him in his last moments, along with the few that stayed to end that fight, while the others got the victims out. What was his purpose down there? Why did he fight? His daughter was there, stolen away from Clutch Care and missing for weeks. He was a father."

"Kahner Bearson, a massive bear from Tundra Town, died holding his dead friend - one Trenton Slickhide, a reptile immigrant from Liz'Marck. They shared the simple joy of a cold drink after a long day, one they had hoped to share after that night but never got to."

He shifted where he stood, gazing out on the crowd. This speech was harder than he had even imagined, despite all the practice runs and rehearsals. Speaking it aloud felt like it gave some finality to their deaths.

"Jack Snapjaw, a massive saltwater crocodile clad in steel armor took the brunt of the abuse over that night. Though we all saw him bleeding from under his armor, he waved all medical treatment off to the other wounded in our team. He was found by a friend of his after we took the warehouse - a wolf that had fought alongside him most of the night. That wolf had to be pried away from his dead body after Jack died from multiple gunshot wounds that penetrated his armor. He finally decided that this was the way he wanted to die. There are more stories of reptiles putting themselves in mortal danger to save a mammal, and mammals doing the same for reptiles. Even the veterans of forgotten wars who finally gave the ultimate sacrifice, alas they are too numerous to repeat today."

"So in conclusion I say to you. Don't let their bridge crumble. Forge new friendships, build new communities and appreciate who we are. Brothers...sisters, mothers and fathers. We are all capable of great and wonderful things if we only try."

Nick put his speech away and put his paw to his new badge, pads rubbing over the words written there.

"I'm going to share a few words with you. The first is Integrity. It's the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Words like righteousness, honor and morality go along with it. The second word is Trust. This is characterized by a firm belief in the reliability or strength of someone or something. Belief and faith go paw in paw with this word. The last word is Bravery. It's easy to know but difficult to live by at times. It's courageous behavior or character. Valor. Heroism. Hold these values close to your heart, live by them as I and these other 34 animals have strived to do. Do that and we will truly be a wonder to behold. I love Zootopia, yet it isn't perfect...not yet. Only with these values guiding our way forward together forgetting all of the past wrongs, bigotry, hate and anger can we bring the light to our city and make it perfect."

Nick took a moment to look over the massive crowd and gave them his best smirk and leaned over with his elbow on the podium as he finished up. "What'd ya say Zootopia? Care to join me?"

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheering. Nick smiled as he saw both reptiles and mammals in the crowd smiling at each other, shaking claw in paw, even hugging. The healing was beginning. Nick clicked off his knee braces, grabbed his crutches and started his way down the stairs where his friends were waiting for him. Bogo, John, Calvin, Sierra, the rest of ZPD Precinct 1 and even Koslov holding Mr. Big. Among the crowed on the lower platform were the rest of his team from that night along with all the other honored guests. He finished making his way down the stairs and approached Vira, the young daughter of Vek, who was sitting next to Bonnie and Stu Hopps. Upon reaching her, he was handed a microphone from an antelope who smiled as she left the stage.

Nick smiled at the young reptile as he spoke into the mic. "One more thing, Zootopia..." The crowd grew silent as they awaited his words. "One of the last things Vek told me was to make sure his daughter had a home to go to. A place to be welcomed with open arms and loved as he loved her. Well Vira, I have some good news for you. The adoption papers came through. You are now a member of the Hopps family!"

The young girl cried as Bonnie and Stu hugged their new daughter with love and the crowd rocked the plaza with cheers anew. He took a cherished moment to look over his team from that night, medals around their necks. They had all been awarded the Civil Service Medal, the highest award that a civilian could hope to achieve. Many of them were shipping out for the academy in a week, even a few of the mammals sent by Mr. Big were joining. Nick was pleased to think that they all carried letters of recommendation written by himself and Judy. As for their part, they had to have a new medal commissioned by Mayor Growlburn due to the unique situations they resolved and accomplishments they achieved. The Medal of Unity was now on par with the Medal of Valor that also hung from his breast along with the same pair upon his partner's.

Nick let himself down heavily into his chair, still trying to master that part of his current disability. He let out a heavy sigh and looked over at Judy who was beaming at him. "How was it, Carrots?"

She smiled, reached up and took his face in her paws. "It was perfect." The the rabbit planted a long kiss on his lips as the crowd let out a massive cheer, and even the animals of the ZPD applauded with them.

When they broke away, John put his muzzle between them smiling. "Well _it's about time_ , you crazy animals!"

Judy nodded at Nick who stared at her through his perfect emerald eyes. "Yes, John...I believe you're correct...it is about time!"

 **AN: Thanks again to everyone who has given my first story a read, like and follow. I have had a fantastic time with it, met some really cool authors, artists, and just people in general. There have been a few people that have really helped me, either in my writing or by supporting me and my story! I must make these wonderful people known!**

 **AngloFalcon: Editor In Chief**

 **Cimar of Turalis Wildhopps**

 **Eragon05: Been following me since day 1!**

 **StoryCrusader: Fantastic support and good guy to bounce ideas off of!**

 **Drummermax64: Editor in chief for First Partners and Long War**

 **Ziegelzeig: Fantastic art commissions for my cover and other works.**

 **Zootopiannewsnetwork: These folks do great work Google ZNN and check them out! THANKS ZNN!**

 **Ande883: I loved reading your reviews! Thank you so much for them! Hope to see them on my next stories!**

 **Thanks again everyone and keep an eye out! More stories are to come soon!**

 **Travel Well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


	16. Epilogue

**AN: Curious about Delgato? Here we learn about his fate! Sorry I didnt release this yesterday along with the chapter. Life got busy, but here it is!**

 **Epilogue**

Nick stood atop a hill overlooking rolling carrot fields. The harvest was due to arrive soon and the real work would begin. His therapist mentioned that a bit of hard labor would be a perfect finish to his therapy, as all he needed anymore was a cane to support his weight. Judy was playing a game with her siblings and their new sister. Vira had taken quite well to the farmer's life. Nick suspected it was because it helped her mind heal over the loss of her father. As she ran from her new sisters, giggling the whole way, Nick couldn't help himself smile.

He pulled out a note from Bogo and decided now was a good time to read it. He found Bogo's flawless writing within.

 _'Nick, I thought you would like to know what became of Domingo Delgato, so here is the list of charges he was convicted of._

 _Treason: 1 count 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Conspiracy to usurp a government organization: 1 count 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Conspiracy to commit murder: 2 counts 2_ _nd_ _degree_

 _Animalnapping: 14 counts 2_ _nd_ _degree_

 _Conspiracy to commit assassination: 2 counts 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Assault on a police officer: 3 counts 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Attempted murder of a police officer: 3 counts 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Detonation of illegal explosive device: 1 count 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Assault with a deadly weapon: 35 counts 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Attempted murder: 35 counts 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Poisoning of a citizen: 2 counts 3_ _rd_ _degree_

 _Contamination of a crime scene: 2 counts 2_ _nd_ _degree_

 _Poisoning of a minor 14: counts 3_ _rd_ _degree_

 _Production of an illegal substance: 1 count 2_ _nd_ _degree_

 _Abuse of a minor: 14 counts 1st degree_

 _Unlawful communication with a convict: 45 counts 3_ _rd_ _degree_

 _Torture: 14 counts 1_ _st_ _degree_

 _Unauthorized experimentation on sentient subjects: 17 counts 2_ _nd_ _degree_

 _His sentencing is in a few days, expect another letter on that. Rest assured he will never have the light of the city grace his eyes or fur again. The treason charge alone is enough for that. All of the animals involved with the dead drops were picked up thanks to the information provided by Finnick Fennec, and overall the efforts of both you and Officer Hopps have resulted in 132 arrests. Enjoy your final month of convalescent leave, we are all looking forward to having you and Hopps back here in the Precinct. Your report from that night was well written yet very difficult to read. It still amazes me; the things that you and Judy Hopps survived through and accomplished._

 _I ramble on it seems, so I will conclude with this; Judy Hopps, and Nicholas Wilde, I again extend my profound thanks to you and your efforts, We here at the ZPD are very lucky to have cops like you to aspire to._

 _-Chief Bob Bogo_

 _P.S. Tommy Reynarks has started rolling his sleeves. I suppose I have you to thank for that Wilde.'_

Nick smiled as he put the letter away and Judy came up the hill panting with a broad grin on her face. Nick nodded to her. "Hey Carrots, did you know that Chief Bogo's first name is Bob?"

She laughed, "Did you know that Mr. Big's real name is Alvaro?" She stood next to him and put her arm around his waist as he put his around her shoulders, watching the kids play.

Nick closed his eyes and took in the smell of fresh soil and clean air. His lungs breathed in the air deeply. He was glad he still had them both. It was close but they managed to save it. Nick chuckled to himself quietly.

Judy looked up at him, seeing that he was still smiling. "What is it?"

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Remembering the first night I got here last week."

She giggled. "Oh, when all of my siblings wanted to see your scars? Battle wounds is what you called them, if I remember correctly."

Nick nudged her. "You have some battle wounds yourself you know?"

She nodded and sighed deeply. "Yeah we're pretty scared up, aren't we?"

Nick smiled widely, green eyes shimmering in the setting sunlight, breeze ruffling his fur, eyes locked with Judy's

"Maybe, Carrots, but we've never been stronger."

 **AN: Thanks again for following this story or giving it a read. It has been quite the learning experience and the community has been fantastic! Really all of you have! Keep an eye out for the next stories going to be released, 'First Partner', A story about Wolford and his brother. Then is The Long War, a science fiction, fantasy crossover. That one should be fun and Ive had great feedback from my editor. The sequel to this story will start showing up in about a month so AngloFalcon can have some much needed time to take care of his own story! Thanks again folks!**

 **Travel Well**

 **-Keft**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!**

 **The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
